Striped Ichthyophis Fitzinger, 1826 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from the Western Ghats of peninsular India in the collection of London's Natural History Museum and their implications for taxonomy and distribution

Eleven specimens of striped species of the Asian caecilian amphibian genus Ichthyophis from peninsular India are present in the collections of London's Natural History Museum. The most recently collected specimen of these was recently reported upon. We reassessed the other specimens that were accessioned in the period 1874-1955. We identified four species, I. beddomei, I. kodaguensis, I. longicephalus and I. tricolor, with five specimens reidentified from previous catalogue entries. Morphological data and photographs are presented. These specimens provide insights into the taxonomic history of Ichthyophis in India, especially G.A. Boulenger's synonymy of I. beddomei with I. glutinosus, and E.H. Taylor's resurrection of that species and elevation of I. tricolor from a ‘variety’ to full species. The material also includes, as far as is known, the earliest collected specimens of I. kodaguensis (accessioned 1882) and I. longicephalus (accessioned 1874), species described in 2007 and 1986, respectively. One specimen of I. tricolor from the Nilgiri hills proves this species is not restricted to the southernmost Western Ghats, south of the Palakkad (Palghat) Gap biogeographic barrier.