Amphisbaena ridleyi
| Amphisbaena ridleyi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Amphisbaenidae |
| Genus: | Amphisbaena |
| Species: | A. ridleyi |
| Binomial name | |
|
Amphisbaena ridleyi Boulenger, 1890 |
|
 |
|
Amphisbaena ridleyi, known by the common names Ridley's worm lizard or the Noronha worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the genus Amphisbaena. This species is endemic to the island of Fernando de Noronha off the coast of Brazil. It is one of two indigenous reptiles on the island.
Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci may have visited Fernando de Noronha in 1503. In an account of his voyage, the authenticity of which is doubtful, he records "some snakes" from the island. Although Amphisbaena ridleyi is not a snake, the difference would be clear only to a herpetologist, and it is likely that Vespucci's men actually saw A. ridleyi. He also recorded "lizards with two tails" and "very big rats", which can be identified with Trachylepis atlantica and Noronhomys vespuccii.
In 1887, botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley collected 16 specimens on Fernando de Noronha, which were deposited in the British Museum of Natural History, and in 1890, George Albert Boulenger officially described it as Amphisbaena ridleyi, naming it after Ridley. The generic name Amphisbaena is a compound of two Greek words: αμφις (amphis), meaning "both ways", and βαινειν (bainein), meaning "to go". This is in reference to the appearance of having a head on either end of its body, meaning the animal can "go either way". In 1945, a Lt. Finley acquired five individuals and in 1973, ornithologist Storrs L. Olson collected 12 additional examples, which are now in the United States National Museum.
...
Wikipedia