Western Congo worm lizard

{{Short description|Species of amphisbaenian}}

{{speciesbox

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = Kusamba C, Zassi-Boulou AG (2021). "Monopeltis guentheri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T176244A126048442. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176244/126048442. Downloaded on 18 October 2021.

| genus = Monopeltis

| species = guentheri

| authority = Boulenger, 1885

| subdivision =

| range_map = Monopeltis guentheri distribution.png

| synonyms = *Monopeltis guentheri
{{small|Boulenger, 1885}}

  • Monopeltis boulengeri
    {{small|Boettger, 1887}}
  • Monopeltis güntheri
    {{small|— de Witte, 1954}}
  • Monopeltis guentheri
    {{small|— Broadley, 1998}}

| synonyms_ref =

}}

The Western Congo worm lizard (Monopeltis guentheri) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.{{NRDB species|genus=Monopeltis|species=guentheri|accessdate=24 February 2019}}

Etymology

The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.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}}. (Monopeltis guentheri, p. 110).

Geographic range

M. guentheri is found in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. guentheri is forest.Boudzoumou et al. (2013).

Description

M. guentheri may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of {{cvt|25|cm|in}}, with a tail length of {{cvt|3|cm}}. It has 250–254 annuli on the body.Boulenger (1885).

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of M. guentheri is unknown.

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Boettger O (1887). "Diagnoses Reptilium Novorum ab ill. viro Paul Hesse in finibus fluminis Congo repertorum ". Zoologischer Anzeiger 10: 649–651. (Monopeltis boulengeri, new species, p. 649). (in Latin).
  • Boudzoumou, Sylvestre; Hoops, Daniel Hoops; Mamonekene, Victor; Jackson, Kate (2013). "Morphologogical variation in Monopeltis guentheri from forest habitat in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae)" African Journal of Herpetology 62 (2): 117–124. (in English, with an abstract in French).
  • Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Amphisbænidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (Monopeltis guentheri, new species, pp. 456–457 + Plate XXIV, figures 3a–3d).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (129): 1–130. (Monopeltis guentheri, p. 35).
  • Gans, Carl; Latifi, "Mahmood [sic]" (1971). "Redescription and Geographical Variation of Monopeltis guentheri Boulenger (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia)". American Museum Novitates (2464): 1–20.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3321186}}

Category:Monopeltis

Category:Endemic fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Category:Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Category:Reptiles described in 1885

Category:Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger

Category:Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic

{{Amphisbaenidae-stub}}