Kalahari worm lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Monopeltis
Species:
M. leonhardi
Binomial name
Monopeltis leonhardi
F. Werner, 1910
Synonyms[1]
  • Monopeltis leonhardi
    F. Werner, 1910
  • Monopeltis vernayi
    V. FitzSimons, 1932
  • Monopeltis leonhardi
    — V. FitzSimons & Brain, 1958

The Kalahari worm lizard (Monopeltis leonhardi), also known commonly as the Kalahari spade-snouted worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is indigenous to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, leonhardi, is in honor of German ethnographer Leonhard Schultze-Jena.[2]

Geographic range

M. leonhardi is found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. leonhardi is shallow sand.[3]

Description

M. leonhardi is purplish pink dorsally, and pinkish ventrally. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in). The maximum recorded SVL is 29 cm (11 in).[3]

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of M. leonhardi is unknown.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Monopeltis leonhardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  2. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Monopeltis leonhardi, p. 155,; "Schultze", p. 238).
  3. 1 2 Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Monopeltis leonhardi, p. 125 + Plate 41).

Further reading

  • Gans C (2010). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Monopeltis leonhardi, p. 36).
  • FitzSimons V, Brain CK (1958). "A Short Account of the Reptiles of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park". Koedoe, African Protected Area Conservation and Science 1 (1): 99–104. (Monopeltis leonhardi, p. 102).
  • Werner F (2010). "Reptilia et Amphibia". pp. 279–370. In: Schultze L (1910). "Zoologische und anthropologische Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise im westlichen und zentralen Südafrika ausgeführt in den Jahren 1903–1905 mit Unterstützung der Kgl. preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Vierter Band: Systematik und Tiergeographie. Zweite Lieferung ". Denkschriften der medicinisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena 16: 1–522 + Plates I–XIX. (Monopeltis leonhardi, new species, p. 328 + Plate VI, figures 2, 2a, 2b, 2c). (in German).



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