NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Caecilia mertensi Taylor, 1973
Source-backed taxonomic record
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Caecilia mertensi is a species of caecilian in the family Caeciliidae from South America. The type locality is imprecise: the holotype was purportedly collected in "Seychelle Isle", but most likely originates from South America. However, more recently, several specimens have been collected from Mato Grosso, Brazil. The specific name mertensi honors Robert Mertens, a German zoologist and herpetologist. Common name Mertens' caecilian has been coined for this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Caecilia mertensi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:36:25.263802+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Caecilia mertensi Taylor, 1973
- Name authority
- Taylor, 1973
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Gymnophiona
- Family
- Caeciliidae
- Genus
- Caecilia
- 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
- familyCaeciliidae Rafinesque, 1814
- genusCaecilia Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesCaecilia mertensi Taylor, 1973
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Caecilia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Caecilia atelolepis Fernández-Roldán, Lynch & Medina-Rangel, 2023 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia goweri Fernández-Roldán & Lynch, 2021 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia macrodonta Fernández-Roldán, Lynch & Medina-Rangel, 2023 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia albiventris Daudin, 1803 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia armata Dunn, 1942 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia caribea Dunn, 1942 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia corpulenta Taylor, 1968 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia crassisquama Taylor, 1968 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia dunni Hershkovitz, 1938 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia flavopunctata Roze & Solano, 1963 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia isthmica Cope, 1877 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caecilia nigricans Boulenger, 1902 | CaeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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=668443 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:P7SY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.