Zarudny's worm lizard

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Zarudny's worm lizard
Diplometopon zarudnyi 56021622.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Trogonophidae
Genus: Diplometopon
Nikolsky, 1907
Species:
D. zarudnyi
Binomial name
Diplometopon zarudnyi
Nikolsky, 1907 [2]
Synonyms [3]
  • Diplometopon zarudnyi
    Nikolsky, 1907
  • Pachycalamus zarudnyi
    Boulenger, 1920
  • Diplometopon zarudnyi
    Haas, 1957
  • Diplometopon shueaibi
    Niazi, 1979
  • Diplometopon zarudnyi
    Gans, 2005

Zarudny's worm lizard (Diplometopon zarudnyi) is a species of amphisbaenian reptile in the family Trogonophidae. The species is monotypic within the genus Diplometopon. The species is native to the Middle East.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, zarudnyi, is in honor of Russian zoologist Nikolai Zarudny. [4]

Geographic range

D. zarudnyi is found in western Iran, southern Iraq, and on the Arabian peninsula in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, northern Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. [3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of D. zarudnyi are desert, grassland, and shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). [1]

Description

D. zarudnyi typically measures approximately 30 cm (12 in) in total length (including tail). Because it has no limbs, it uses body undulations similar to a snake to move itself along. It has limited vision.

Diet

The diet of D. zarudnyi consists of insects (mainly larvae and adults of beetles of the genus Dermestes ), and other small invertebrates. [5]

Reproduction

D. zarudnyi is oviparous. [3]

Conservation status

D. zarudnyi is classified as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List. [1]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Cerastes gasperettii</i> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican mole lizard</span> Species of lizard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberian worm lizard</span> Species of amphisbaenian

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Checkerboard worm lizard</span> Species of amphisbaenian

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<i>Amphisbaena schmidti</i> Species of reptile

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<i>Acanthodactylus schmidti</i> Species of lizard

Acanthodactylus schmidti, also known commonly as Schmidt's fringe-fingered lizard or Schmidt's fringe-toed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Western Asia.

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<i>Acanthocercus adramitanus</i> Species of lizard

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Behbehani, S.J.Y.; Els, J.; Soorae, P.; Al Johany, A.M.H.; Papenfuss, T. (2012). "Diplometopon zarudnyi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T164643A1063445. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T164643A1063445.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "Diplometopon zarudnyi Nikolsky, 1907". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Species Diplometopon zarudnyi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  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. (Diplometopon zarudnyi, p. 293).
  5. Al-Sadoon MK, Paray BA, Rudayni HA (2016). "Diet of the Worm Lizard, Diplometopon zarudnyi (Nikolsky, 1907), in Riyadh province, Saudi Arabia (Reptilia: Trogonophidae)". Zoology in the Middle East62 (3): 227–230.

Further reading