Boulengerula fischeri Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
One specimen of Boulengerula taitanus, african caecilian. The head can't be seen because the animal is digging, to return underground.
Milvus · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Boulengerula fischeri is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is endemic to Rwanda and only known from around its type locality near Cyangugu, southwestern Rwanda. The specific name fischeri honours Eberhard Fischer, a German botanist who has worked with Rwandan fauna and flora. Common name Fischer's African caecilian has been coined for it. Live animals have the appearance of "live pink spaghetti".
Wikipedia contributors, Boulengerula fischeri; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:30:25.332168+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Boulengerula fischeri Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
- Name authority
- Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Gymnophiona
- Family
- Herpelidae
- Genus
- Boulengerula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderGymnophiona
- familyHerpelidae Laurent, 1984
- genusBoulengerula Tornier, 1896
- speciesBoulengerula fischeri Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Boulengerula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Boulengerula boulengeri Tornier, 1896 | HerpelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Boulengerula endauensis Malonza & Wasonga, 2024 | HerpelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Boulengerula niedeni Müller, Measey, Loader & Malonza, 2005 | HerpelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=668420 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:MR6X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.