King's worm lizard

King's worm lizard (Amphisbaena kingii) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to South America.

Etymology

The specific name, kingii, is in honor of Australian marine surveyor Philip Parker King.

Geographic range

A. kingii is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of A. kingii are savanna and grassland.

Description

A. kingii may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , plus a tail about long. Dorsally, it is purplish brown. Ventrally, it is whitish.

Reproduction

A. kingii is oviparous.

References

Further reading

• Bell T (1833). "[Characters of two New Genera of Reptiles]". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1833: 98–99. (Anops kingii, new species, p. 99). (in English and Latin).
• Duméril AMC, Bibron G (1839). Erpétologie générale ou Histoire naturelle complète des Reptiles. Tome cinquième [Volume 5]. Paris: Roret. viii + 854 pp. (Amphisbæna kingii, new combination, pp. 496–498). (in French).
• Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Anops kingii, p. 22).
• Stejneger L (1916). "Notes on Amphisbænian Nomenclature". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 29: 85. (Anopsibæna kingii, new combination).