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Monopeltis zambezensis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monopeltis zambezensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Amphisbaenidae
Genus: Monopeltis
Species:
M. zambezensis
Binomial name
Monopeltis zambezensis
Gans & Broadley, 1974

Monopeltis zambezensis is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is indigenous to southern Africa.

Geographic range

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M. zambezensis is found in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and presumably western Mozambique.[1]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of M. zambezensis is red soil in Mopane woodlands.[2]

Description

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M. zambezensis is very small and slender for its genus. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of only 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in). The maximum recorded SVL is 23.5 cm (9.3 in).[2]

Reproduction

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The mode of reproduction of M. zambezensis is unknown.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Monopeltis zambezensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Monopeltis zambezensis, p. 125).

Further reading

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  • Broadley DG (1997). "A review of the Monopeltis capensis complex in southern Africa (Reptilia: Amphisbaenidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 46 (1): 1–12.
  • Broadley DG, Gans C, Visser J (1976). "Studies on Amphisbaenians (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia). 6. The Genera Monopeltis and Dalophia in Southern Africa". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 157: 311–486. (Monopeltis zambezensis, pp. 398–401, Figures 60–64).
  • Gans C, Broadley DG (1974). "a new dwarfed species of Monopeltis from the middle Zambezi Valley (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia)". Arnoldia, Rhodesia 6 (35): 1–5. (Monopeltis zambezensis, new species).
  • Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. (289): 1–130. (Monopeltis zambezensis, p. 38).