Biology:Monopeltis rhodesiana

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Short description: Species of amphisbaenian

Monopeltis rhodesiana
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Monopeltis
Species:
M. rhodesiana
Binomial name
Monopeltis rhodesiana
Broadley, Gans & Visser, 1976
Synonyms[1]
  • Monopeltis capensis rhodesianus
    Broadley, Gans & Visser, 1976
  • Monopeltis rhodesianus
    — Broadley, 1988
  • Monopeltis rhodesiana
    — Broadley, 1997

Monopeltis rhodesiana is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Geographic range

M. rhodesiana is found in southern Malawi, central Mozambique, southern Zambia, and northwestern Zimbabwe.[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. rhodesiana is mesic savanna, with alluvial soil.[2]

Description

M. rhodesiana is pinkish, both dorsally and ventrally. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in). The maximimum recorded SVL is 28.5 cm (11.2 in). The tail is short, with only 5–9 caudal annuli.[2]

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of M. rhodesiana is unknown.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Monopeltis rhodesiana at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN:0-88359-042-5. (Monopeltis rhodesiana, pp. 125–126 + Plate 41).

Further reading

  • Broadley DG (1997). "A review of the Monopeltis capensis complex in southern Africa (Reptilia: Amphisbaenidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 46 (1): 1–12.
  • Broadley DG, Gans C, Visser J (1976). "Studies on Amphisbaenians (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia). 6. The Genera Monopeltis and Dalophia in Southern Africa". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 157: 311–486. (Monopeltis capensis rhodesianus, new subspecies, pp. 394–398, Figures 56–59).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (289): 1–130. (Monopeltis rhodesianus, p. 37).


Wikidata ☰ Q3321193 entry