A new species of Caecilia (Gymnophiona, Caeciliidae) from the Magdalena valley region of Colombia

A new species of the genusCaecilia(Caeciliidae) from the western foothills of the Serranía de los Yariguíes in Colombia is described.Caecilia pulchraserranasp. nov.is similar toC. degenerataandC. corpulentabut differs from these species in having fewer primary annular grooves and a shorter body length. With this new species, the currently recognized species in the genus are increased to 35. Mitochondrial DNA sequences, including newly sequenced terminals representing two additional, previously unanalyzed species, corroborate the phylogenetic position of the new species withinCaeciliaand the monophyly of the genus. This analysis also included newly sequenced terminals of Epicrionops aff. parkeri (Rhinatrematidae) and trans-AndeanMicrocaecilia nicefori(Siphonopidae). Evidence was found for the non-monophyly of the family Siphonopidae and the siphonopid generaMicrocaeciliaandSiphonops. The implications of these results for caecilian systematics are discussed and the status of the trans-Andean populations ofCaecilia degeneratais commented upon.