Rhineura floridana
| Rhineura floridana | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Amphisbaenia |
| Family: | Rhineuridae |
| Genus: | Rhineura |
| Species: | R. floridana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhineura floridana (Baird, 1858)
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Rhineura floridana, known commonly as the Florida worm lizard,[4] graveyard snake,[5] or thunderworm, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Rhineuridae. The species is the only extant member of the genus Rhineura,[6][7] and is found primarily in Florida but has been recorded in Lanier County, Georgia.[1] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.[3][4]
Description
R. floridana varies in total length (including tail) from 18–30 cm (7–12 in). The head has a shovel-like snout that projects forward past the lower jaws, which is used for burrowing. The eyes are highly reduced and not visible externally. The limbs are absent and, as in other Amphisbaenia, the body is covered by scales arranged in rings giving the animal a worm-like appearance.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of R. floridana are forest and shrubland.[1]
Behavior
R. floridana is a burrower, preferring a soil, sand, or leaf mold substrate, and spending most of its time underground where it is safe from predators. It surfaces only when heavy rain or plowing forces it to evacuate its burrow. Because of the former, it is sometimes called thunderworm. When disturbed, it retreats into its burrow tail-first.
Diet
The diet of R. floridana includes insects and earthworms, but it is an opportunistic feeder and will eat almost any invertebrate small enough to catch.
Reproduction
Reproduction in R. floridana is by laying eggs (oviparity).[3]
Conservation status
Rhineura floridana is classified as Least Concern on the
References
- ^ . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Rhineura floridana at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Rhineura floridana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. (Rhineura floridana, p. 277, Figure 15-2).
- ^ Rhineura at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 February 2022.
- ^ "Rhineura". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
Further reading
- Baird SF (1858). "Description of New Genera and Species of North American Lizards in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 10: 253–256. (Lepidosternon floridanum, new species, p. 255).
- ISBN 0-395-19977-8(paperback). (Rhineura floridana, p. 135 + Plate 13 + map 98).
- ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Rhineura floridana p. 323, Figure 156 + Plate 30).
- ISBN 0-307-47009-1(hardcover). (Rhineura floridana, pp. 132–133).
- Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Rhineura floridana, p. 72).
- Westphal, Natascha; Mahlow, Kristin; Head, Jason James; Müller, Johannes (2019). "Pectoral myology of limb-reduced worm lizards (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) suggests decoupling of the musculoskeletal system during the evolution of body elongation". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 19 (1): 16. PMC 6329177.
- Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide. (illustrated by James Gordon Irving). New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (Rhineura floridana, pp. 68, 155).