''Amphisbaena caeca'', commonly known as the Puerto Rican worm lizard or blind worm lizard, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

worm lizard Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. These animals are vermicular reptiles that live under logs, rocks, and dirt. Other species of Amphisbaenids in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

include '' Amphisbaena bakeri'', '' Amphisbaena fenestrata, Amphisbaena schmidti'', ''

Amphisbaena xera ''Amphisbaena xera'', known commonly as the dry worm lizard, Puerto Rican dryland worm lizard, or the North American worm lizard, is a worm lizard species. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''xera'', which is from Greek ...

'', and ''

Cadea blanoides The spotted amphisbaena (''Cadea blanoides'') is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Cadeidae. This species is endemic to the island of Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an islan ...

''. Amphisbaenids are legless, worm-like reptiles with elongated bodies nearly uniform in diameter. They are covered with ring-like scales similar in appearance to earthworms. They are underground animals, hence the eyes have degenerated to tiny indistinct spots under the rings.

Description

''Amphisbaena caeca'' is pinkish-brown on the head and tail, with dark spots on each of the scales found throughout its annuli (body rings), of which there are between 214 and 237 in this species. This helps distinguish it from ''A. bakeri'', whose annuli count is greater. It is one of the two largest amphisbaenids on the island (the other being ''A. bakeri''), measuring up to in snout to vent length (SVL). Like other members of its clade, it has only one median tooth. Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish its head from its tail, it is sometimes referred to as a "two-headed snake" ("''culebra de dos cabezas''") by Puerto Rican locals. According to folklore, wearing a live ''Amphisbaena'' on the body "helps safeguard pregnancy" while wearing a dead snake "helps rheumatism".

Habits

They can be found burrowing in the ground under logs, rocks, old tree stumps, and under termite and ant nests.

Habitat

They live in dense

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, thickets, and

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Geographic range

The distribution of this species is the widest of any amphisbaenid in Puerto Rico, being found throughout the central mountainous region of the island up to an elevation of . They have also been found in Isla Vieques, Isla Culebra, and the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

.http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=fsbdev3_043063&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ss=110819&position=Not Yet Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=El Yunque National Forest- Nature

References

* Boulenger, G.A. 1885. ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II...Amphisbænidæ.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers.) xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I.- XXIV. (''Amphisbæna cæca'', pp. 445–446.) * Cuvier, G. 1829. ''Le Règne Animal Distribué, d'après son Organisation, pour servir de base à l'Histoire naturelle des Animaux et d'Introduction à l'Anatomie Comparé. Avec Figures desinées, d'après Nature. Nouvelle Édition, Revue et Augmentée. Tome II.'' eptilesParis: Déterville. xv + 406 pp. (''Amphisbæna caeca'', p. 73.) * Rivero, J.A. 1978. ''Los Anfibios y Reptiles de Puerto Rico: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Puerto Rico''. San Juan: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 375 pp. . * Schwartz, A., and

R. Thomas R. Thomas (March 13, 1961 – 1971) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky by Bull Hancock at his renowned Claiborne Farm. Sired by Nadir, the 1957 American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, his dam was Fleet Flight, a daughte ...

. 1975. ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Amphisbaena caeca'', p. 166.)

External links

Caribbean National Forest
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2844298 Reptiles of Puerto Rico caeca Reptiles described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier