Amphisbaena ridleyi

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Amphisbaena ridleyi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Amphisbaena
Species:
A. ridleyi
Binomial name
Amphisbaena ridleyi
Boulenger, 1890 [1]
Amphisbaena ridleyi distribution.png

Amphisbaena ridleyi, known by the common names Ridley's worm lizard or the Noronha worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to the island of Fernando de Noronha off the coast of Brazil. It is one of two indigenous reptiles on the island.

Contents

Taxonomy

Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci may have visited Fernando de Noronha in 1503. In an account of his voyage, the authenticity of which is doubtful, he records "some snakes" from the island. Although Amphisbaena ridleyi is not a snake, the difference would be clear only to a herpetologist, and it is likely that Vespucci's men actually saw A. ridleyi. He also recorded "lizards with two tails" and "very big rats", which can be identified with Trachylepis atlantica and Noronhomys vespuccii . [2]

In 1887, botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley collected 16 specimens on Fernando de Noronha, which were deposited in the British Museum of Natural History, and in 1890, George Albert Boulenger officially described it as Amphisbaena ridleyi, naming it after Ridley. [3] [4] The generic name Amphisbaena is a compound of two Greek words: αμφις (amphis), meaning "both ways", and βαινειν (bainein), meaning "to go". This is in reference to the appearance of having a head on either end of its body, meaning the animal can "go either way". [5] In 1945, a Lt. Finley acquired five individuals and in 1973, ornithologist Storrs L. Olson collected 12 additional examples, which are now in the United States National Museum. [3]

Distribution

Morro de Pico Fernando de Noronha Conceicao Beach.jpg
Morro de Pico

A. ridleyi is found on the island of Fernando de Noronha, a small volcanic archipelago in the equatorial South Atlantic 345 km off the northeastern Brazilian coast. It is common in suitable habitat; [2] Olson reported that it could easily be found in forests by turning over stones. [3] Malathronas mentions that it can be seen basking in the sun on Morro de Pico. [6]

Description

Despite a superficial resemblance to primitive snakes, amphisbaenians such as Amphisbaena ridleyi have features which distinguish them from other reptiles. Internally, the right lung is reduced in size to fit the narrow body, whereas in snakes, it is the left lung that is reduced in size. [7] The typical length for this species is 250 millimetres (9.8 in). [3]

Amphisbaena ridleyi has a stout head with a broad snout, not set off from the neck. [8] Most of the skull is solid bone, and it has a distinctive single median tooth in the upper jaw. It has no outer ears, and the eyes are deeply recessed and covered with skin and scales. The body is elongated, and the tail truncates in a manner that vaguely resembles the head. It lacks legs but has remnants of the pelvic and pectoral girdles embedded within its body musculature. [8] The tail is only loosely attached to the body. A. ridleyi moves using an accordion-like motion, in which the skin moves and the body seemingly just drags along behind it. It is also able to effectively perform this locomotion in reverse. [9]

Diet

Amphisbaena ridleyi is carnivorous, and has blunt, interlocking, teeth, meant for crushing its prey, primarily snails (Hyperaulax ridleyi), but its diet includes other invertebrates. It is the only amphisbaenian known to have specializations for eating hard food such as snails. [3] In periods of drought Amphisbaena ridleyi climbs the trunks of Mulungu trees to obtain nectar from the flowers. [6]

Reproduction

A. ridleyi is oviparous. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando de Noronha</span> State district in Pernambuco, Brazil

Fernando de Noronha, officially the State District of Fernando de Noronha and formerly known as the Territory of Fernando de Noronha until 1988, is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and located 354 km off the Brazilian coast. It consists of 21 islands and islets, extending over an area of 26 km2 (10 sq mi). Only the eponymous main island is inhabited; it has an area of 18.4 km2 (7.1 sq mi) and a population estimated at 3,101 in 2020. While most of the archipelago is relatively low-lying, there are parts reaching more than 100 m (328 ft) in elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphisbaenia</span> Suborder of reptiles

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. Phylogenetic studies suggest that they are nested within Lacertoidea, closely 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphisbaenidae</span> Family of amphisbaenians

The Amphisbaenidae are a family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates.

<i>Noronhomys</i> Extinct rat species from the islands of Fernando de Noronha off northeastern Brazil

Noronhomys vespuccii, also known as Vespucci's rodent, is an extinct rat species from the islands of Fernando de Noronha off northeastern Brazil. Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci may have seen it on a visit to Fernando de Noronha in 1503, but it subsequently became extinct, perhaps because of the exotic rats and mice introduced by the first explorers of the island. Numerous but fragmentary fossil remains of the animal, of uncertain but probably Holocene age, were discovered in 1973 and described in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noronha skink</span> Species of skink

The Noronha skink is a species of skink from the island of Fernando de Noronha off northeastern Brazil. It is covered with dark and light spots on the upperparts and is usually about 7 to 10 cm in length. The tail is long and muscular, but breaks off easily. Very common throughout Fernando de Noronha, it is an opportunistic feeder, eating both insects and plant material, including nectar from the Erythrina velutina tree, as well as other material ranging from cookie crumbs to eggs of its own species. Introduced predators such as feral cats prey on it and several parasitic worms infect it.

<i>Amphisbaena</i> (lizard) Genus of amphisbaenians

Amphisbaena is a genus in the family Amphisbaenidae, commonly known as worm lizards. Over 100 species are placed in this diverse genus.

<i>Amphisbaena alba</i> Species of lizard

Amphisbaena alba, also known as the red worm lizard or less commonly as the white or white-bellied worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the reptilian order Squamata. Despite the large geographic range that this species covers, little is known about its ecology due to its secretive habits. A. alba has a diverse diet ranging from plant material to small vertebrates. Numerically, beetles, ants, and spiders compose the majority of their diet; however, ants, insect larvae, beetles, cockroaches, hemipterans, mole crickets, crickets, grasshoppers, termites, spiders, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and annelids are ingested to satisfy a larger volume. The females are somewhat larger than the males, and can reach over 80 cm, which is quite large for an amphisbaenian. They are known to bury themselves in leafcutter ant nests and hide in the ants’ garbage dump areas to avoid irritating the ants into attacking, and to bury themselves to avoid predation in general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's ringed worm lizard</span> Species of amphibaenian

Darwin's ringed worm lizard is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae, endemic to South America.

Heath's worm lizard is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Brazil, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

Vanzolini's worm lizard is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to northern South America.

<i>Hyperaulax ridleyi</i> Species of gastropod

Hyperaulax ridleyi is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Odontostomidae.

A. ridleyi may refer to:

<i>Amphisbaena mertensii</i> Species of lizard

Amphisbaena mertensii, also known as the Mertens' worm lizard or Mertens's worm lizard, is a species of worm lizard in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to South America.

<i>Leposternon microcephalum</i> Species of lizard

Leposternon microcephalum, also known commonly as the smallhead worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae in the reptilian order Squamata. The species is endemic to South America.

The Cuban many-ringed amphisbaena, also known commonly as the Cuban many-ringed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Cuba.

Amphisbaena cegei is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Bolivia.

Amphisbaena medemi is a species of worm lizard in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slevin's worm lizard</span> Species of lizard

Slevin's worm lizard is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to northern South America.

Spurrell's worm lizard is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Central America and northern South America.

Amphisbaena steindachneri is a species of worm lizard in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to South America.

References

  1. ↑ Ridley, Henry; Boulenger, George (1890). "Notes on the Zoology of Fernando Noronha". The Journal of the Linnean Society Zoology. 20 (124–125): 481–482. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1886.tb02243.x.
  2. 1 2 Carleton MD, Olson SL (1999). "Amerigo Vespucci and the rat of Fernando de Noronha: a new genus and species of Rodentia (Muridae, Sigmodontinae) from a volcanic island off Brazil's continental shelf ". American Museum Novitates (3256): 1–59.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Pregill, Gregory (1984). "Durophagous Feeding Adaptations in an Amphisbaenid". Journal of Herpetology. 18 (2): 186–191. doi:10.2307/1563747. JSTOR   1563747.
  4. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Amphisbaena ridleyi, p. 221).
  5. ↑ O' Shea, Mark (2007). Boas and Pythons of the World. New Holland Publishers Ltd. p. 160. ISBN   978-1-84537-544-7.
  6. 1 2 Malathronas, John (2008). Wildlife Guide: Brazil. San Diego: Globetrotter. p. 144. ISBN   978-1-84773-135-7.
  7. ↑ Gans, Carl (1998). Cogger HG; Zweifel RG (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 212–215. ISBN   978-0-12-178560-4.
  8. 1 2 Gans, Carl; Mathers, Sandra (1977). "Amphisbaena medemi, an interesting new species from Colombia (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia), with a key to the amphisbaenians of the Americas". Fieldiana Zoology. 72 (2): 40. doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.5131 .
  9. ↑ Gans, Carl (1963). "Redescription of Amphisbaena ridleyi Boulenger". Copeia. 1963 (1): 102–107. doi:10.2307/1441276. JSTOR   1441276.
  10. ↑ Species Amphisbaena ridleyi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Amphisbaena ridleyi at Wikispecies

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