Amphisbaena albocingulata
| Amphisbaena albocingulata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Amphisbaenia |
| Family: | Amphisbaenidae |
| Genus: | Amphisbaena |
| Species: | A. albocingulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Amphisbaena albocingulata Boettger, 1885 | |
Amphisbaena albocingulata is a worm lizard species in the family Amphisbaenidae. It is endemic to Paraguay.[2] It is light brown in coloration, distinguishable from other lizards in the genus by a rounded snout and visible caudal autotomy.[3]
Taxonomy
Amphisbaena albocingulata was formally described in 1885 by the German zoologist Oskar Boettger based on a specimen collected from Paraguay.[4] Boettger indicated the holotype of albocingulata could possibly be a juvenile of Amphisbaena darwini, with which George Boulenger had synonymized Aporarchus prunicolor, but treated it as a distinct species because of differences in the head scalation.[3] In 1966, in his taxonomic revision of the Amphisbaena darwini species complex, the American zoologist Carl Gans revived Amphisbaena prunicolor as a full species and demoted A. albocingulata to the status of a subspecies.[5] The Brazilian herpetologist Paulo Vanzolini raised albocingulata to the status of a full species again in 2002.[6] This arrangement has been maintained by subsequent authorities.[3] Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin words albus and cingulata, meaning 'white-belted'.[2]
Description
Amphisbaena albocingulata is a small, thin species for its genus, reaching a snout–vent length of 121.0–138.0 mm (4.76–5.43 in). It is a unicolor light brown in color, with a slightly darker tail. It can be distinguished from other lizards in the genus by a rounded snout and visible caudal autotomy.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Amphisbaena albocingulata is endemic to Paraguay, where it is known from the departments of Central, Asunción, and Paraguarí. A specimen of the species from Brasília in Brazil is of uncertain provenence and may be mislabelled, while a record from Argentina was a misidentified Amphisbaena heterozonata.[3]
References
- ↑ Cacciali, P.; Scott, N. (2016). "Amphisbaena albocingulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T63482555A63487561. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T63482555A63487561.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- 1 2 Amphisbaena albocingulata at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Perez, Renata; Ribeiro, Síria; Borges-Martins, Márcio (15 November 2012). "Reappraisal of the taxonomic status of Amphisbaena prunicolor (Cope 1885) and Amphisbaena albocingulata Boettger 1885 (Amphisbaenia: Amphisbaenidae)". Zootaxa. 3550 (1): 1–25. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3550.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ↑ Boettger, O. (1885). "Liste von Reptilien and Batrachiern aus Paraguay". Zeitschrift für Naturwissenschaften (in German). 58: 213–248.
- ↑ Gans, C. (1966). "Studies on amphisbaenids (Amphisbaenia: Reptilia) 3. The small species from southern South America commonly identified as Amphisbaena darwini". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 134 (3): 185–260.
- ↑ Vanzolini, P. E. (2002). "An aid to the identification of the South American species of Amphisbaena (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, São Paulo. 42 (15) – via 351–362.