The pink-tailed worm-lizard or granite worm-lizard (''Aprasia parapulchella'') is a rare legless lizard found in Australia. The animal looks like a combination of small snake and worm. Its total length is up to 14 cm. It has a pink tail and is white underneath. The head and neck are brown, and the rest of the top of the body is pale grey. Scales on the back each have a dark bar, giving the appearance of dots down the back. It is found on two hills near

Tarcutta Tarcutta is a town in south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town is south-west of Sydney, east of the Hume Highway, It was proclaimed as a village on 28 October 1890. As of 2016, the town had a population of 446. It serves a local f ...

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in ...

, Bendigo in Victoria, and along the sides of the

Molonglo River The Molonglo River, a perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Monaro and Capital Country regions of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia. ...

and

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

and on Mount Taylor in the Australian Capital Territory. The lizards eat invertebrates that live under rocks. They can be found under rocks sized from 0.15 to 0.6 m. Their main diet is ant eggs, particularly from ''

Iridomyrmex ''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formici ...

'' species and ''

Rhytidoponera metallica The green-head ant (''Rhytidoponera metallica''), also known as the green ant or metallic pony ant, is a species of ant that is endemic to Australia. It was described by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858 as a member of the genus ''R ...

''.

Genetics

DAPIstainedkarotypeofAprasiaparapulchellamale

''Aprasia parapulchella'' cells have 42 chromosomes in the diploid state. Males of the species have a heteromorphic pair of chromosomes (a pair of two different ones), termed XY, and the females have a pair of same XX chromosomes. The microsatellite (AGAT)₈ is strongly repeated near the Y chromosome

centromere The centromere links a pair of sister chromatids together during cell division. This constricted region of chromosome connects the sister chromatids, creating a short arm (p) and a long arm (q) on the chromatids. During mitosis, spindle fibers ...

. The Y chromosome also contains the (AC)₁₅ motif, whereas the X chromosome does not. (AC)₁₅ also shows up on another two pairs of small and large chromosomes.

Anatomy

The head and tail are both rounded in shape. It differs from a snake in that scaly hind limb flaps are present. Also, its tongue is not forked, but is flat and long. There are no ears visible. Species-specific characteristics include absence of pattern on the side of the head, two preocular scales and three preanal scales are present, and the first upper labial scale and nasal scale are fused. Weights of the lizards can range from 0.1 to 4.0 g. At 1 year old, they are around 6 cm from snout to vent, in the second year they reach 8 cm, and in the third year 9.6 cm. Adult males over 3 years old average 10.9 cm and females are slightly bigger at 12 cm.

Threats

The lizard is threatened by habitat fragmentation, removal of rock, grazing, tree planting, weeds, and ploughing.

Genetics

Anatomy

Threats

References

Further reading