Amphisbaenidae

Amphisbaenidae
Amphisbaena alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	Amphisbaenia
Family:	Amphisbaenidae
Genera
17, see text

The Amphisbaenidae, common name worm lizards, are a family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates.

Geographic range

Amphisbaenids occur in South America, some Caribbean islands, and in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxonomy

One deep-branching and somewhat aberrant genus, Blanus, is native to Europe, and may represent a distinct family.

Description

Members of the family are limbless, burrowing, lizards with carnivorous diets. As in other amphisbaenians, the body bears rings of scales, which gives amphisbaenids a worm-like appearance. The heads are massively constructed and used for burrowing, with powerful jaws and large, recurved teeth used for seizing prey. Some species have spade-like heads, while others have a narrow keel on their heads, and still others have a rounded skull. The eyes are highly reduced, while the ear bone, or stapes, is large and massively built. Together with another bone, the extracollumella, the stapes is used to detect vibrations of prey items, allowing amphisbaenids to be able to hunt for invertebrate underground.

Genera

Chirindia langi

Over 120 species are in the family, grouped into 17 genera:

• Amphisbaena Linnaeus, 1758
• Ancylocranium Scortecci, 1930
• Anops Bell, 1833
• Aulura Barbour, 1914
• Baikia Gray, 1865
• Bronia Wiegmann, 1828
• Cercolophia Strauch, 1881
• Chirindia Boulenger, 1907
• Cynisca A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839
• Dalophia Gray, 1865
• Geocalamus Günther, 1880
• Leposternon Hemprich, 1820
• Loveridgea Tornier, 1899
• Mesobaena Mertens, 1925
• Monopeltis A. Smith, 1848
• Zygaspis Cope, 1885

Further reading

• Gans, C. 2005. Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World. Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (289): 1-130.

External links

• http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/families/amphisbaenidae.php