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.
| Kalahari worm lizard | |
|---|---|
Scientific 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] | |
| |
Etymology
editThe specific name, leonhardi, is in honor of German ethnographer Leonhard Schultze-Jena.[2]
Geographic range
editM. leonhardi is found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.[1]
Habitat
editThe preferred natural habitat of M. leonhardi is shallow sand.[3]
Description
editM. 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
editThe mode of reproduction of M. leonhardi is unknown.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Monopeltis leonhardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b 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
edit- 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).
.png){kind=small} | This reptile article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |