Added 1 February 2003. Last updated March 2012: added links to
The family Amphisbaenidae contains by far the largest number of genera and species of the suborder Amphisbaena. The following is a list of the genera and their general characteristics and distribution. More recently on the basis of a paper by Vidal & Hedges (2009) which I have not read it appears that some of the genera listed below have been merged with Amphisbaena.
Please note that due to the general paucity of readily available knowledge about these creatures, this list is an ongoing work and will probably take some time to complete. Links will be provided from genus names to a list of their species when such information is available.
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QUICK INDEX |
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Ancyclocranium, Sharp-Snouted Worm Lizards |
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Genus |
Common Name |
No. of species |
Distribution |
Notes |
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66 |
Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Surinam, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Trinidad, Ecuador, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hispaniola, Virgin Islands |
Mainly South America (not Chile), also Caribbean |
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Sharp-Snouted Worm Lizards |
3 |
Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopian |
E African genus |
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2 |
Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina |
Now incorporated into Amphisbaena by some authorities. |
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1 |
Brazil |
Now incorporated into Amphisbaena by some authorities. |
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1 |
Nigeria and Cameroon |
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4 |
Morocco, Portugal, Spain, W Turkey, Greece (Rhodos, Kos, Cyprus), Lebanon, poss. Israel (but may be extinct), Syria, N Iraq |
Mostly Moroccan |
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9 |
N S America, Ecuador, Colombia, |
Now incorporated into Amphisbaena by some authorities. |
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4 |
Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia |
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Pink Round-Headed Worm Lizards |
5 |
Tanzania, Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique |
Rounded head with extensive fusion of head shields (usually the nasal, 1st upper labial and prefrontal, and sometimes other shields, are all fused behind the rostral into 1-2 large shields). |
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17 |
Congo, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Liberia, Cameroon, Senegal, probably in S Mali |
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Blunt-Tailed Worm Lizards |
7 |
Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Caprivi Strip, Congo, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique |
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Wedge-Snouted Worm Lizards |
2 |
Kenya, Tanzania |
Compressed snout, well-developed pectoral shields. |
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6 |
Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, |
Mainly Brazilian genus. Now incorporated into Amphisbaena by some authorities. |
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Round-Snouted Worm Lizards |
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Tanzania |
Slender and small. Long conical heads, snout compressed and very bent. |
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2 |
Venezuela, Colombia |
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Spade-Snouted Worm Lizards |
19 |
Angola, N Namibia, Botswana, Congo, Republic of South Africa, S Mozambique, SE Zimbabwe, Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, Rio Muni, Malawi |
Large species, found mainly in Congo. Broad horizontal-shaped snout covered with 1-2 large horny shields. Nasals are always separated by rostral. Pectoral region usually has enlarged long smooth shields. Body is cylindrical with <300 annuli counted along the belly. |
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1 |
USA (Florida, Georgia) |
Sometimes counted as a separate family, the Rhineuridae |
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Purple Round-Headed Worm Lizards |
6 |
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Congo, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa |
Small and stout species: distinct nasal, prefrontal and ocular scales. |
Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa, W Kästle, H H Schleich and K Kabisch, Koeltz Scientific Books, Germany 1996. Outstanding review of N African herpetofauna giving detailed account of each species.
Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa by Stephen Spawls, Kim Howell, Robert Drewes and James Ashe. Detailed and invaluable review of all reptile species in the region.
Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa, Bill Branch, Struik. Very good overview of all reptiles in the region with identification details.
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