''Rhineura floridana'', known
commonly as the Florida worm lizard,
graveyard snake,
[ Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. . (''Rhineura floridana'', p. 277, Figure 15-2).] or thunderworm, 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
amphisbaeninan in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Rhineuridae
Rhineuridae is a family of amphisbaenians (commonly called worm lizards) that includes one living genus and species, ''Rhineura floridana'', as well as many extinct species belonging to both ''Rhineura'' and several extinct genera. The living ''R ...
. The species is the only extant member of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''Rhineura'',
and is found primarily in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
but has been recorded in
Lanier County, Georgia
Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,078. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet S ...
.
There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Description
''R. floridana'' varies in total length (including tail) from . The head has a shovel-like snout that projects forward past the lower jaws, which is used for burrowing. The eyes are highly reduced and not visible externally. The limbs are absent and, as in other Amphisbaenia, the body is covered by scales arranged in rings giving the animal a worm-like appearance.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s of ''R. floridana'' are forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and shrubland.
Behavior
''R. floridana'' is a burrower, preferring a soil, sand, or leaf mold substrate, and spending most of its time underground where it is safe from predators. It surfaces only when heavy rain or plowing forces it to evacuate its burrow. Because of the former, it is sometimes called thunderworm. When disturbed, it retreats into its burrow tail-first.
Diet
The diet of ''R. floridana'' includes insects and earthworms, but it is an opportunistic feeder and will eat almost any invertebrate
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
small enough to catch.
Reproduction
Reproduction in ''R. floridana'' is by laying eggs ( oviparity).[
]
Conservation status
''Rhineura floridana'' is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
.
References
Further reading
* Baird SF (1858). "Description of New Genera and Species of North American Lizards in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution". ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 10: 253–256. (''Lepidosternon floridanum'', new species, p. 255).
* Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. (illustrated by Isabelle Hunt Conant). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Rhineura floridana'', p. 135 + Plate 13 + map 98).
* Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. . (''Rhineura floridana'' p. 323, Figure 156 + Plate 30).
* Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback), (hardcover). (''Rhineura floridana'', pp. 132–133).
* Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). ''A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (''Rhineura floridana'', p. 72).
*
* Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). ''Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide''. (illustrated by James Gordon Irving
James Gordon Irving (June 2, 1913 – August 15, 2012) was a commercial illustrator and painter, best known for illustrating the early Golden Guide series of nature books.
Life and career
Irving, who went by the name Gordon, was born in Ridge ...
). New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (''Rhineura floridana'', pp. 68, 155).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1430039
Amphisbaenians
Reptiles of the United States
Endemic fauna of the Southeastern United States
Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird
Reptiles described in 1858