Swynnerton's worm lizard

From WikiProjectMed
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Swynnerton's worm lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Chirindia
Species:
C. swynnertoni
Binomial name
Chirindia swynnertoni
Boulenger, 1907
Synonyms[1]
  • Chirindia swynnertoni
    Boulenger, 1907
  • Amphisbaenula orientalis
    Sternfeld, 1911
  • Chirindia bushbyi
    Cott, 1934
  • Amphisbaena swynnertoni
    V. FitzSimons, 1943
  • Chirindia swynnertoni
    Broadley & Howell, 1991

Swynnerton's worm lizard (Chirindia swynnertoni), also known commonly as Swynnerton's round-headed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to eastern Africa and southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, swynnertoni, is in honor of British entomologist Charles Francis Massy Swynnerton.[2]

Geographic range

C. swynnertoni is found in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of C. swynnertoni are grassland and thicket.[3]

Description

C. swynnertoni may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 14 cm (5.5 in). It is uniformly pale purplish pink.[3]

Reproduction

C. swynnertoni is oviparous.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Chirindia swynnertoni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  2. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 259).
  3. ^ a b Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida. 399 pp., 112 color plates. ISBN 0-88359-042-5.(Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 122 + Plate 42).

Further reading

  • Boulenger GA (1907). "Descriptions of a new Toad and a new Amphisbænid from Mashonaland". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Seventh Series 20: 47–49. (Chirindia swynnertoni, new species, pp. 48–49).
  • Broadley DG, Howell KM (1991). "A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys". Syntarsus 1: 1–70. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 19).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Chirindia swynnertoni, 27).
  • Spawls, Stephen; Howell, Kim; Hinkel, Harald; Menegon, Michele (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 322).