''Amphisbaena roberti'' 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 ...
of
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 ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Amphisbaenidae
The Amphisbaenidae (common name: worm lizards) are a family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates.
Geographic range
Amphisbaenids occur in South America, some Caribbean islands, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
One deep-b ...
. The species is
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 ...
to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''roberti'', is in honor of German herpetologist
Robert Mertens
Robert Friedrich Wilhelm Mertens (1 December 1894 – 23 August 1975) was a German herpetologist. Several taxa of reptiles are named after him.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Cercolophia roberti'', p. 223).]
Geographic range
''A. roberti'' is found in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
,
Paraná,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
) and
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
Reproduction
''A. roberti'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Gans C (1964). "The South American species of ''Amphisbaena'' with a vertically keeled tail (Reptilia, Amphisbaenidae)". ''Senckenbergiana biologica'' 45 (3/5): 387–416. (''Amphisbaena roberti'', new species).
*Mott T
Mott is both an English surname and given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname B
*Basil Mott (1859–1938), British civil engineer
*Bitsy Mott (1918–2001), American baseball player C
* Charles James Mott (1880–1918), British bar ...
, Vieites DR (2009). "Molecular phylogenetics reveals extreme morphological homoplasy in Brazilian worm lizards challenging current taxonomy". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 51 (2): 190–200.
* Vanzolini PE (1992). "''Cercolophia'', a new genus for the species of Amphisbaenia with a terminal vertical keel on the tail (Reptilia, Amphisbaenia)". ''Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo'' 37 (27): 401–412. (''Cercolophia roberti'', new combination).
roberti
Reptiles described in 1964
Taxa named by Carl Gans
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