Caecilians of the Seychelles

Simon Maddock is an ex Bangor University student who pioneered the first year of the integrated Masters of Zoology with Herpetology, which I am currently studying!

He has since moved on to complete a PhD at the University of London (UCL), and now works as a lecturer of conservation genetics on Wolverhampton University.

We at Bangor were lucky enough to have Simon come to the university and give a talk on his most recent work- the taxonomy, ecology and biology of Seychelles caecilians!

The Caecilian

If you're not familiar with caecilians, they are a group of amphibians that live below the ground and can be found in tropical environments. The diagram below explains some basic information about what a caecilian is.

'What makes a caecilian?' A useful diagram explaining the key characteristics of caecilian amphibians.

The study site

The Seychelles (Islands off the coast of East Africa) is where Dr. Maddock is currently conducting his research along with fellow researchers in order to establish information on their biology, taxonomy and ecology. One of the main focuses of his talk was their taxonomy.

The Seychelles is an archipelago of islands off the coast of East Africa

Caecilians have evolved in isolation in the Seychelles for the past 64 million years.

The research

The majority of the research discussed in Simon Maddock's seminar involved the discovery of new caecilians such as Hypogeophis pti, a new species discovered by Simon Maddock and colleagues in 2017!

Hypogeophis pti, a new species of caecilian recently discovered. Photo by Simon Maddock.

Dr. Maddock also over-viewed the survey methods employed by the scientists in order to study these cryptic organisms, and determine presence/ absence. These included;

1. Pit-fall traps These are holes dug in the ground with buckets in to catch organisms that go by the survey area. They are often marked with string so they can be easily found each survey.
   

2. Digging surveys This involved digging in pre-determined sites for the fossorial organisms (those that live below ground) along a transect (an area walked along from 200m+ in the forest).

Once the data on presence/ absence was collected and in some cases, novel specimens were kept, the science team based in the Seychelles could study taxonomy, morphology and behaviour. Some fantastic research has come out from Dr. Maddock's research along with a team of specialists in the Seychelles. They have been able to develop DNA sequences for the caecilians in order to identify and classify the species by using previous data on non-lethal DNA sampling for caecilians.

Reflection

This seminar by Simon Maddock was insightful and provided an incredible view into a poorly studied group of amphibians.

I was fortunate enough to speak to Simon after the talk and was offered a position to conduct independent research in the Seychelles. The project included work on the impact of elevation on the diversity of amphibians on an island of the Seychelles.

Simon Maddock has proved to be an important contact in my field of interest and this talk has opened many doors for my future career in amphibian research!