01323nas a2200169   4500008004100000245016600041210006900207260001400276300001000290490000700300520072400307100002101031700002401052700002201076700002001098856003501118       2004                        eng d00aThe caecilian amphibian Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger as prey of the burrowing asp Atractaspis aterrima Gunther: trophic relationships of fossorial vertebrates0 acaecilian amphibian Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger as prey of t  cJune 2004  a83-870 v423 aA report is given of an adult caecilian, Scolecomorphus kirkii, found in the gut of a specimen of the snake Atractaspis aterrima from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Both predator and prey are largely fossorial in soil, and their ecology is poorly known, such that this is the first reported predator of any scolecomorphid caecilian. The caecilian was ingested head first and much of the flesh from the anterior of the specimen had been digested. The prey/predator mass ratio is 0.48. This value is substantially higher than reported for A. aterrima from West Africa, and refutes the notion that this species feeds only on small prey. Most reported predators of caecilians are snakes, and a brief review is presented.1 aGower, David, J.1 aRasmussen, Jens, B.1 aLoader, Simon, P.1 aWilkinson, Mark  u<Go to ISI>://PREV200400321713