Lualaba worm lizard explained

The Lualaba worm lizard (Monopeltis adercae) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Etymology

The specific name, adercae, is in honor of Bernard Max Aderca, who was a Belgian geologist and paleontologist.^[1]

Geographic range

M. adercae is found in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the vicinity of Mulongo. The holotype was collected at an elevation of 617m (2,024feet).

Description

The holotype of M. adercae has a total length of 360mm, which includes a tail 57mm long. The diameter of the body is 9mm.^[2]

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of M. adercae is unknown.

Further reading

• De Witte G-F (1953). "Exploration du Parc National de l'Upemba. Mission G. F. de Witte en collaboration avec W. Adams, A. Janssens, L. van Meel et R. Verheyen (1946–1949). Reptiles ". Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge (Brussels) 6: 1–322. ("Monopeltis adercæ", new species, pp. 82–83, Figures 16A–16D). (in French).
• Gans C (2005). "Checklist and Bibliography of the Amphisbaenia of the World". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (289): 1–130. (Monopeltis adercae, p. 34).

Notes and References

1. [Richard Allen "Bo" Crombet-Beolens|Beolens B]
2. [Gaston-François de Witte|de Witte]