''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 ...
of
worm lizard 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 else ...
to
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 include ''
Amphisbaena bakeri'', ''
Amphisbaena fenestrata,
Amphisbaena schmidti'', ''
Amphisbaena xera'', and ''
Cadea blanoides''.
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 (se ...
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 ...
s.
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
Isla Culebra (, ''Snake Island'') is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico and geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieque ...
, 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. Cro ...
.
[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 ]
See also
*
List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
This is a list of the endemic fauna of Puerto Rico. This list is sorted in alphabetical order by the scientific name of the species, which are in parentheses.
Birds
* Yellow-shouldered blackbird (''Agelaius xanthomus'')
* Puerto Rican parro ...
References
Further reading
*
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. 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