Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
SUBORDER AMPHISBAENIA
This suborder contains a single family found in Paraguay. Amphisbaenians are legless, burrowing lizards with a superficial resemblance to earthworms. The common name is derived from "Amphibaena" a mythical serpent said to have a head at either end of its body, and referring to the poorly-defined external head morphology of the species in this group. The body is elongated and cylindrical and the skull elements are fused and modified as an adaptation for a fossorial lifestyle. There is a single median tooth in the upper jaw. They lack external ears and the eyes are covered with scales. Annuli (folds of skin) circle the body with or without granular scales. Skin is only loosely-attached to the body, and movement is accordion-like, the skin moving first and the body being dragged along. They are also capable of performing this motion in reverse. Osteoderms are absent.
Amphibaenians lack temporal arches and a postorbital bar. The quadrate is fixed and slants forwards, whilst the epipterygoid is reduced or absent. The jaw is short. There are no palatal teeth and there are a few large teeth in the upper and lower jaws. Splenial is absent and limb girdles are reduced. Limbs are completely absent in all Paraguayan genera. The extra-columella is enlarged. There are no intercentra and no parasternum.
FAMILY AMPHISBAENIDAE - AMPHISBAENIANS
This Paraguayan branch of this family includes representatives of two subfamilies, the Amphibaeninae and the Rhineurinae. The cranium is in the frontal plane of the body and the snout is rounded or laterally compressed. Nostril is laterally-located. Vertical processes of the premaxilla are narrow and no postarticular process is present. Preanal pores are present. Premaxilla and dentary are small and moderate. Skin lacks pigment or is only slightly pigmented dorsally, giving a mostly pinkish colour. Skin somewhat permeable. Limbs are lacking and tail tapers abruptly. Teeth are pleurodont. Oviparous.
SUBFAMILY AMPHISBAENINAE
Nine species in two genera have been documented in Paraguay - Amphibaena and Cerclolophia. Characters are typical of those of the family
SUBFAMILY RHINEURINAE
One species in the genus Leptosternon recorded in Paraguay. Members of this subfamily have the cranium tilted to the frontal plane of the body. The face is flattened and the snout is spade-like with a sharp horizontal edge. Nostrils are inferior, the vertical process of premaxilla being broad and triangular. Preanal pores may be present or absent. Other characters are typical of those of the family. This subfamily is occasionally raised to family level.
REFERENCES
Fouquette MJ (unpublished) - Synopsis of Recent Reptiles to Genus - Arizona University
Whitfield P Ed.1984 - Longman Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia - Guild Publishing, London.
