Kalahari worm lizard

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]
	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

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).
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).

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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[RDB-1] 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).

[Bill-3] 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).