Lindi sharp-snouted worm lizard explained

The Lindi sharp-snouted worm lizard (Ancylocranium barkeri), also known commonly as Barker's sharp-snouted worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania. There are two recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, barkeri is in honor of New Zealander zoologist Ronald de la Bere Barker (1889–?).^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of A. barkeri is sandy areas, at altitudes of 800–.

Diet

A. barkeri preys upon termites and other small invertebrates.

Reproduction

A. barkeri is oviparous. Clutch size is a single egg.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Ancylocranium barkeri barkeri
• Ancylocranium barkeri newalae

Further reading

• Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Ancylocranium barkeri, p. 22).
• Loveridge A (1946). "A New Worm-Lizard (Ancylocranium barkeri) from Tanganyika Territory". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 59: 73–75. (Ancylocranium barkeri, new species).
• Loveridge A (1962). "New Worm-Lizards (Ancylocranium and Amphisbaena) from Southeastern Tanganyika Territory". Breviora (163): 1–6. (Ancylocranium barkeri newalae, new subspecies, pp. 1–3).
• Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (Ancylocranium barkeri, p. 323).

Notes and References

1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Ancylcranium barkeri, p. 17).