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Swynnerton's worm lizard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swynnerton's worm lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Chirindia
Species:
C. swynnertoni
Binomial name
Chirindia swynnertoni
Boulenger, 1907
Synonyms[1]
  • Chirindia swynnertoni
    Boulenger, 1907
  • Amphisbaenula orientalis
    Sternfeld, 1911
  • Chirindia bushbyi
    Cott, 1934
  • Amphisbaena swynnertoni
    V. FitzSimons, 1943
  • Chirindia swynnertoni
    Broadley & Howell, 1991

Swynnerton's worm lizard (Chirindia swynnertoni), also known commonly as Swynnerton's round-headed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to eastern Africa and southern Africa.

Etymology

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The specific name, swynnertoni, is in honor of British entomologist Charles Francis Massy Swynnerton.[2]

Geographic range

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C. swynnertoni is found in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.[1]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of C. swynnertoni are grassland and thicket.[3]

Description

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C. swynnertoni may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 14 cm (5.5 in). It is uniformly pale purplish pink.[3]

Reproduction

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C. swynnertoni is oviparous.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Chirindia swynnertoni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  2. ^ 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. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 259).
  3. ^ a b Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida. 399 pp., 112 color plates. ISBN 0-88359-042-5.(Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 122 + Plate 42).

Further reading

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  • Boulenger GA (1907). "Descriptions of a new Toad and a new Amphisbænid from Mashonaland". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Seventh Series 20: 47–49. (Chirindia swynnertoni, new species, pp. 48–49).
  • Broadley DG, Howell KM (1991). "A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys". Syntarsus 1: 1–70. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 19).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Chirindia swynnertoni, 27).
  • Spawls, Stephen; Howell, Kim; Hinkel, Harald; Menegon, Michele (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Chirindia swynnertoni, p. 322).