Lang's worm lizard

Lang's worm lizard
Soutpansberg worm lizard
(Chirindia langi occidentalis)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Chirindia
Species:
C. langi
Binomial name
Chirindia langi
Synonyms[2]
  • Amphisbaena langi
    (V. FitzSimons, 1939)

Lang's worm lizard (Chirindia langi) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to Southern Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

Etymology

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The specific name, langi, is in honor of German taxidermist Herbert Lang.[3]

Geographic range

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C. langi is found in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of C. langi is savanna, at altitudes of 230–1,400 m (750–4,590 ft).[1]

Description

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Adults of C. langi usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in). The maximum recorded SVL is 15.8 cm (6.2 in). It is slender, and its coloration is uniformly pink.[4]

Reproduction

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C. langi is oviparous.[2]

Subspecies

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Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Measey GJ (2018). "Chirindia langi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T196957A115664040. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T196957A115664040.en. Downloaded on 22 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Chirindia langi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  3. ^ 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 langi, p. 150).
  4. ^ 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., 112 color plates. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Chirindia langi, p. 122 + Plate 42).

Further reading

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  • Broadley DG, Gans C (1978). "Southern forms of Chirindia (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia)". Annals of Carnegie Museum 47: 29–51. (Chirindia langi, pp. 46, 48 + Figures 4–8).
  • FitzSimons VFM (1939). "Descriptions of some new species and subspecies of lizards from South Africa". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 20 (1): 5–16. (Chirindia langi, new species).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Chirindia langi, p. 26).
  • Jacobsen NHG (1984). "A new subspecies of Chirindia langi (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia) from southern Africa, with notes on the ecology of the species". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 33 (26): 391–398. (Chirindia langi occidentalis, new subspecies).