Varagua caecilian
Gymnopis multiplicata Peters, 1874
The varagua caecilian (Gymnopis multiplicata), also called the purple caecilian or Central American caecilian, is an amphibian of the order Gymnophiona and the family Dermophiidae. It reaches up to 48 cm in body length and is an invertivore whose main foods are arthropods.
Quick facts about the varagua caecilian
Its microhabitat is aquatic, fossorial and terrestrial, and it is cathemeral; it reproduces by live birth, with 16 young per litter and up to 30. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 48 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forest, human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 16 – 30src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Live birthsrc for Reproduction
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the varagua caecilian live?
Not recorded
What is the varagua caecilian?
Gymnopis multiplicata is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and possibly Guatemala. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas.
From the Wikipedia article “Gymnopis multiplicata” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gymnopis_multiplicata&oldid=1314572911), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the varagua caecilian endangered?
The varagua caecilian is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the varagua caecilian classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAmphibia
- orderGymnophiona
- familyDermophiidae
- genusGymnopis
- SpeciesGymnopis multiplicata Peters, 1874
Synonyms Cryptopsophis multiplicatus, Cryptopsophis multiplicatus, Cryptopsophis simus, Dermophis proximus, Dermophis simus, Gymnopis multiplicata multiplicata, Gymnopis multiplicata proxima, Gymnopis multiplicatus multiplicatus, Gymnopis proxima, Gymnopis sima, Siphonops proximus, Siphonops simus
Other names and names in other languages (8)
- Central American caecilianEnglish
- Purple caecilianEnglish
- cecílie středoamerickáCzech
- Cecilia púrpuraSpanish
- Cecilia centroamericanaSpanish
- cecilido moradoSpanish
- Cecilia viola centroamericanaItalian
- Центральноамериканская червягаRussian
Relatives of the varagua caecilian
Other species in the same genus Gymnopis.
Mountain caecilian
Gymnopis syntrema
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the varagua caecilian?
The varagua caecilian is an amphibian in the order Gymnophiona and the family Dermophiidae.
How big is the varagua caecilian?
The varagua caecilian reaches up to 48 cm in body length.
What does the varagua caecilian eat?
The varagua caecilian is an invertivore, and its main foods are arthropods.
How does the varagua caecilian reproduce?
The varagua caecilian gives live birth, with 16 young per litter and up to 30.
Is the varagua caecilian endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
Who named Gymnopis multiplicata?
Gymnopis multiplicata was named by Peters, 1874.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Varagua caecilian (Gymnopis multiplicata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/varagua-caecilian
“Varagua caecilian (Gymnopis multiplicata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/varagua-caecilian.
@misc{varagua_caecilian_2026,
title = {Varagua caecilian (Gymnopis multiplicata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/varagua-caecilian},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}