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Blind Lizard
Dibamidae or blind skinks is a family of lizards characterized by their elongated cylindrical body and an apparent lack of limbs. Female dibamids are entirely limbless and the males retain small flap-like hind limbs, which they use to grip their partner during mating. They have a rigidly fused skull, lack pterygoid teeth and external ears. Their eyes are greatly reduced, and covered with a scale. They are small insectivorous lizards, with long, slender bodies, adapted for burrowing into the soil. They usually lay one egg with a hard, calcified shell, rather than the leathery shells typical of many other reptile groups. The family Dibamidae has two genera, '' Dibamus'' with 23 species native to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and western New Guinea and the monotypic '' Anelytropsis'' native to Mexico. Recent phylogenetic analyses place the dibamids as the sister clade to all the other lizards and snakes or classify them as sharing a common ancestor with the inf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mexican Blind Lizard
The Mexican blind lizard (''Anelytropsis papillosus'') is a species of legless lizard in the family Dibamidae, and the only species in the genus ''Anelytropsis''. It is endemic to Mexico. They look like Amphisbaenia, but are in fact, only distantly related. Etymology Although early authors did not discuss the etymology, the generic name, ''Anelytropsis'', is presumed to be based on the Greek words: ''ana'' = up opon; ''elytron'' = shield; ''ops'' = eye, in reference to the eyes which are concealed by ocular scales. The trivial name or specific epithet, ''papillosus'', is Latin and refers to the minute papillae present on the scales in the anterior areas of the mouth and nose (rostral scale, first labial scale, and loreal).Campbell, Howard W. 1974. ''Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles: Anelytropsis, A. papillosus.'' Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 156:1–2. Description The Mexican blind lizard is a limbless lizard, adapted for burrowing. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
