Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard

Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Amphisbaenidae
Genus:	Zygaspis
Species:	Z. vandami
Binomial name
	Zygaspis vandami; (V. FitzSimons, 1930)
Synonyms[1]
	Amphisbaena vandami ; V. FitzSimons, 1930; Zygaspis violacea vandami ; — V. FitzSimons, 1943; Zygaspis vandami ; – D. Broadley & S. Broadley, 1997;

Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard (Zygaspis vandami), also known commonly as the sand-dwelling dwarf worm lizard and Van Dam's round-headed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to southern Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, vandami, is in honor of South African Herpetologist Gerhardus Petrus Frederick Van Dam (died 1927).[2]

Geographic range

Z. vandami is found in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Z. vandami are sand, sandy-soils, and humus-rich soils.[1]

Description

One of the smaller species in its genus, Z. vandami usually has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in). The maximum recorded SVL is 18.5 cm (7.3 in). It is uniformly dark purplish brown dorsally, and light purple ventrally. The chin and the anal area are white.[3]

Behavior

A burrowing species, Z. vandami is usually found under logs and stones.[1]

Reproduction

Z. vandami is oviparous.[1]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[1]

Zygaspis vandami arenicola D. Broadley & S. Broadley, 1997
Zygaspis vandami vandami (V. FitzSimons, 1930)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Zygaspis.

References

Zygaspis vandami 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. (Zygaspis vandami, p. 271).Beolens
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. (Zygaspis vandami, p. 123 + Plate 100).

Broadley DG, Broadley S (1997). "A revision of the African genus Zygaspis Cope (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia)". Syntarsus 4: 1–24. (Zygaspis vandami arenicola, new subspecies).
FitzSimons V (1930). "Descriptions of New South African Species of Reptilia and Batrachia, with Distribution Records of Allied Species in the Transvaal Museum Collection". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 14 (1): 20–48. (Amphisbaena vandami, new species, pp. 32–33, Figures 11–14).

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[RDB-1] Zygaspis vandami 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. (Zygaspis vandami, p. 271).Beolens

[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. (Zygaspis vandami, p. 123 + Plate 100).