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Anniealexandria
''Anniealexandria'' is an extinct genus of amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...n lizard known by the type species ''Anniealexandria gansi'' from the earliest Eocene of Wyoming. ''Anniealexandria'' is the only known member of the family Bipedidae in the fossil record, which otherwise only includes the extant genus '' Bipes'' from Mexico. It was named in 2009 in honor of Annie Montague Alexander, founder of the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Remains of ''Anniealexandria'' are known only from a single fossil locality in the Bighorn Basin called Castle Gardens, but within the locality its fossils are common in the Willwood Formation, usually consisting of isolated jaw bones and vertebrae. ''Anniealexandria'' seems to have been a commo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bipedidae
Bipedidae is a family of amphisbaenians that includes the extant genus '' Bipes'' represented by three species from Baja California and the southern coast of Mexico and the extinct genus ''Anniealexandria'' represented by one species that lived in what is now Wyoming during the earliest Eocene around 55 million years ago. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Bipedidae is most closely related to the family Blanidae ''Blanus'' is a genus of amphisbaenians found in the Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa. Like other amphisbaenians, ''Blanus'' species are specialized for a subterranean existence, with long, slender bodies, reduced limbs, and rudim ..., which includes the living genus '' Blanus''. Bipedidae are very small usually ranging from 120 to 240 mm, and have large mole-like limbs that each include five claws. They have a short tail that does not regenerate if lost. They use their blunt head for burrowing by ramming it into the soil, and usually prey on arthrop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chthonophis Subterraneus
''Chthonophis'' (meaning "snake beneath the earth", from the Ancient Greek, Greek ''chthonios'' ("beneath the earth") and ''ophis'' ("snake")) is an extinct genus of amphisbaenian lizard with only one known species, ''Chthonophis subterraneus'', from the earliest Paleocene of northeastern Montana. ''Chthonophis'' was named in 2015 on the basis of a partial lower jaw from an outcrop of the Fort Union Formation in the Bug Creek Anthills. The surfaces of the bone are well-rounded, suggesting that the remains had been partially digested by another animal before the jaw had been buried and fossilized. ''Chthonophis'' is the oldest known amphisbaenian, yet phylogenetic analysis shows that it was not the most basal (phylogenetics), basal. Longrich ''et al.'' (2015) classified ''Chthonophis'' in its own family, Chthonophidae, finding it to be more derived than Rhineuridae but more basal than other clades such as Blanidae and Amphisbaenidae (which together make up Amphisbaeniformes). The ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willwood Formation
The Willwood Formation is a sedimentary sequence deposited during the late Paleocene to early Eocene, or Clarkforkian, Wasatchian and Bridgerian in the NALMA classification.Willwood Formation at .orgNeasham & Vondra, 1972 Description It consists of fine grained clastic rocks ( and ) interbedded with medium grained clastic rocks ( |
Chthonophidae
''Chthonophis'' (meaning "snake beneath the earth", from the Greek ''chthonios'' ("beneath the earth") and ''ophis'' ("snake")) is an extinct genus of amphisbaenian lizard with only one known species, ''Chthonophis subterraneus'', from the earliest Paleocene of northeastern Montana. ''Chthonophis'' was named in 2015 on the basis of a partial lower jaw from an outcrop of the Fort Union Formation in the Bug Creek Anthills. The surfaces of the bone are well-rounded, suggesting that the remains had been partially digested by another animal before the jaw had been buried and fossilized. ''Chthonophis'' is the oldest known amphisbaenian, yet phylogenetic analysis shows that it was not the most basal. Longrich ''et al.'' (2015) classified ''Chthonophis'' in its own family, Chthonophidae, finding it to be more derived than Rhineuridae but more basal than other clades such as Blanidae and Amphisbaenidae (which together make up Amphisbaeniformes). The existence of a derived amphisbaenia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annie Montague Alexander
Annie Montague Alexander (29 December 1867 - 10 September 1950) was an explorer, naturalist, paleontological collector, and philanthropist. She founded the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ). From its establishment in 1908 until she died in 1950 she financed the museum's collections and supported a series of paleontological expeditions throughout the western United States. Alexander herself took part in many of these expeditions, accumulating a significant collection of fossils and exotic game animals that she would later donate to the museum. Alexander is remembered by the University of California, Berkeley as one of the "builders of Berkeley" and as the benefactress of the museum. Early life Annie Montague Alexander was born December 29, 1867, in Honolulu during the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was the granddaughter of New England missionaries in Maui. Her father Samuel Thomas Alexander and her uncle Henry Perrine Bal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trogonophis Wiegmanni
The checkerboard worm lizard (''Trogonophis wiegmanni'') is a species of Amphisbaenia, amphisbaenian in the Family (biology), family Trogonophidae. The species is monotypic within the genus ''Trogonophis'', at the Reptile Database. and is Endemism, endemic to North Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, sandy shores, arable land, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss. Subspecies There are two subspecies, which can be distinguished by their coloration. The nominotypical subspecies, ''Trogonophis w. wiegmanni'' , has a pale yellow ground color, while ''T. w. elegans'' has a gray-white or light pink ground color.Description Both subspecies of ''T. wiegmanni'' exhibit the ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphisbaenidae
The Amphisbaenidae (common name: worm lizards) are a family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates. Geographic range Amphisbaenids occur in South America, some Caribbean islands, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy One deep-branching and somewhat aberrant genus, '' Blanus'', is native to Europe, and may represent a distinct family. More recent sources indeed place it in the family Blanidae. Description Members of the family Amphisbaenidae are limbless, burrowing reptiles with carnivorous diets. As in other amphisbaenians, the body bears rings of scales, which gives amphisbaenids a worm-like appearance. The head is massively constructed and used for burrowing, with powerful jaws and large, recurved teeth used for seizing prey. Some species have a spade-like head, while others have a narrow keel on the head, and still others have a rounded skull. The eyes are highly reduced, while the ear bone, or stapes in the middle ear, is large and massive. Together with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agamodon Anguliceps
The angled worm lizard (''Agamodon anguliceps'') is a species of reptile in the family Trogonophidae. It is found in Somalia in the Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), .... Markings on specimens of ''Agamodon anguliceps'' are mottled as yellowish white with darker brown markings along the side of the lizard. The anatomical skull structure of the angled worm lizard features a short, sharp angle between the occipitoparietal and facial plane region. References Agamodon Endemic fauna of Somalia Reptiles of Somalia Reptiles described in 1882 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{lizard-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blanidae
''Blanus'' is a genus of amphisbaenians found in the Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa. Like other amphisbaenians, ''Blanus'' species are specialized for a subterranean existence, with long, slender bodies, reduced limbs, and rudimentary eyes. Their skulls are powerfully constructed, allowing them to push through soil to create a burrow. Their jaws are well-developed, with large, recurved teeth and a pair of canine-like teeth in the upper jaw. Five extant species are currently known. The relationships of ''Blanus'' to other worm-lizards are not clear. The genus was formerly included in the Amphisbaenidae. More recent analyses suggest that blanids are more primitive, and are either related to '' Bipes'' or represent an even more ancient lineage. A number of fossils from Europe have been referred either to ''Blanus'' or to the Blanidae. Species The genus contains the following species: Blanus Wikispecies. * '' Blanus alexandri'' Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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