Amphisbaena absaberi

Amphisbaena absaberi
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	Amphisbaenia
Family:	Amphisbaenidae
Genus:	Amphisbaena
Species:	A. absaberi
Binomial name
Amphisbaena absaberi (Strüssmann & Carvalho, 2001)

Amphisbaena absaberi is a worm lizard species in the family Amphisbaenidae. It is endemic to Brazil, and is known only from its type location.[2]

Etymology

Amphisbaena absaberi is named in honor of Brazilian geographer Aziz Nacib Ab'Sáber.[3]

Taxonomy

The holotype of this species was collected on 15 January 1993 in Cáceres, Brazil, in a cerradão area disturbed by bulldozer activity.[3] Originally classified as Cerclophia absaberi, it was transferred to genus Amphisbaena in 2009 following the completion of a phylogenetic study.[4]

Description

Amphisbaena absaberi has a snout-vent length (SVL) of approximately 300mm and a mass of up to 22g, with males slightly larger than females. Total body length is up to 325mm. The holotype is light brown on its dorsal surface with its tail a conspicuously darker shade of brown.[3] The tail itself is rounded and compressed.[5] It has 239-242 body annuli and two precloacal pores. Its head is compressed relative to other members of its genus, and it has a distinct dorsal sulcus and a segmented caudal keel.[3]

Ecology

What little is known of the ecology of Amphisbaena absaberi is inferred from its holotype and paratypes. Like many others of its genus, Amphisbaena absaberi is fossorial and is likely insectivorous.[3]

References

1. Mott, T. (2010). "Amphisbaena absaberi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T176235A7201958. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176235A7201958.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Amphisbaena absaberi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
3. Strüssmann, Christine; de Carvalho, Marcos André (2001-09-30). "Two new species of Cerclophia Vanzolini, 1992 from the state of Mato Grosso, western Brazil (Reptilia, Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae)" (PDF). Bollettino-Museo Regionale Di Scienze Naturali. 18 (2): 487–505 – via ResearchGate.
4. Mott, Tamí; Vieites, David R. (2009-05-01). "Molecular phylogenetics reveals extreme morphological homoplasy in Brazilian worm lizards challenging current taxonomy". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 51 (2): 190–200. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.01.014. ISSN 1055-7903.
5. Ribeiro, Síria; Sá, Vânia; Santos-Jr, Alfredo P.; Graboski, Roberta; Zaher, Hussam; Guedes, Andrei G.; Andrade, Sheila P.; Vaz-Silva, Wilian (2019-01-25). "A new species of the Amphisbaena (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado with a key for the two-pored species". Zootaxa. 4550 (3): 301–320. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4550.3.1. ISSN 1175-5334.