Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's a pic of the newest addition to my 75 gal tank. The tank has mostly Bosemanni Rainbows and tiger barbs in it, other odds and ends.

I got this last week at a Local Fish Shop with no real ID - is it probably ?Typhlonectes natans? as I read thats the most commonly imported.

I have read the posts about the import limitations...my LFS owner tells me they have no difficulty ordering them from their wholesaler like any item on their lists.

It is very interesting- about 12 inches, moderately cryptic but comes out whenever food is introduced- it likes sinking shrimp pellets, and there are blackworms living in the substrate for snacks. So far it's peaceful...hopefully the tiger barbs and rainbows can evade it for awhile.

Here's a pic of the other tank inhabitants- this tank has been configured like this 2.5 yrs, mostly plastic plants but lots of java moss, and fairly much live biolayer, algae etc. It has lots of filtration, a large canister with two biowheels on the return, plus another 2 biowheel plus biomedia chamber unit at the other end, it's stable.

Hi:

Yep, It's a very large, possibly gravid, T. natans. All aquatic caecilians currently imported into the U.S.A. are this species. They are indeed illegal to own or import, but somehow, many wholesalers manage to still import them. I have kept about 5 T. natans, and all accepted bloodworms, waxworms, small earthworms, blackworms... and glassworms. They are very secretive, and mine usually emerged only at night. Yours will probably not harm the tropical fish; most caecilians are too slow in the water to catch something as fast as a live fish.
Both the aquatic and terrestrial species that I have kept were very fascinating. Please try keeping some notes on what you observe, as this is what I have done, and have found the end result to be very precious. Little is known about these mysterious amphibians, as I mentioned earlier. I hope to one day study them in their natural habitat.
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
0.1 Spanish ribbed newt
0.0.1 Eastern ribbon snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
0.1 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
0.0.1 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
0.0.1 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.1 Western hognose snakes
1.2 fire salamanders
1.1 scarlet kingsnakes
0.0.1 scarlet snake
0.0.1 Argentine horned frog
1.1 Southern ringneck snakes
0.0.1 night snake
0.0.1 Florida brown snake
0.1 Pine woods snake
1.0 rough earth snake
0.1 (parthenogenic) Brahminy blind snake
0.1 Northern brown snake
1.1 Eastern worm snakes

I agree that it's most likely T. natans (there's always the small chance of compressicauda), but it's clearly a male and not a gravid female.