Liwale round-snouted worm lizard explained

The Liwale round-snouted worm lizard (Loveridgea ionidesii) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.

Etymology

The specific name, ionidesii, is in honor of British game warden Constantine John Philip Ionides (1901–1968), who was known as the "Snake Man of British East Africa".^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of L. ionidesii is savanna, at altitudes from sea level to .

Description

Medium-sized for an amphisbaenian, L. ionidesii is in snout-to-vent length (SVL).

Behavior

L. ionidesii is diurnal, terrestrial, and fossorial.

Reproduction

L. ionidesii gives birth to live young, and its mode of reproduction has been called viviparous or ovoviviparous. Litter size is two.

Further reading

• Battersby JC (1950). "A new Amphisbænid Lizard from Tanganyika Territory and notes on the rare snake Chilorhinophis ". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Twelfth Series 3: 413–417. (Amphisbæna ionidesii, new species).
• Broadley DG, Howell KM (1991). "A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys". Syntarsus 1: 1–70. (Loveridgea ionidesii, new combination, p. 19).
• Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Loveridgea ionidesii, p. 34).
• Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (Loveridgea ionidesii, p. 319).

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens B]