Rhineura floridana

Last updated

Rhineura floridana
Rhineura floridana 60562933.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Clade: Amphisbaenia
Family: Rhineuridae
Genus: Rhineura
Species:
R. floridana
Binomial name
Rhineura floridana
(Baird, 1858)
Synonyms [3]
  • Lepidosternon floridanum
    Baird, 1858
  • Rhineura floridana
    Garman, 1883

Rhineura floridana, known commonly as the Florida worm lizard, [4] graveyard snake, [5] or thunderworm, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Rhineuridae. The species is the only extant member of the genus Rhineura, [6] [7] and is found primarily in Florida but has been recorded in Lanier County, Georgia. [1] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

R. floridana varies in total length (including tail) from 18–30 cm (7–12 in). 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 habitats of R. floridana are forest and shrubland. [1]

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 small enough to catch.

Reproduction

Reproduction in R. floridana is by laying eggs (oviparity). [3]

Conservation status

Rhineura floridana is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Amphisbaenia is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As many species have a pink body and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms. While the genus Bipes retains forelimbs, all other genera are limbless. Recent phylogenetic studies suggest that they are nested within Lacertoidea, closed related to the lizard family Lacertidae. Amphisbaenians are widely distributed, occurring in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Western Asia and the Caribbean. Most species are less than 6 inches (15 cm) long.

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<i>Crotaphytus reticulatus</i> Species of lizard

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Rhineura floridana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T64219A12754148. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64219A12754148.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Rhineura floridana at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Rhineura floridana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  5. Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. ISBN   0-7167-0020-4. (Rhineura floridana, p. 277, Figure 15-2).
  6. Rhineura at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 February 2022.
  7. "Rhineura". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 17 February 2022.

Further reading