''Amphisbaena caeca'', commonly known as the Puerto Rican worm lizard or blind worm lizard, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

worm lizard 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. These animals are vermicular reptiles that live under logs, rocks, and dirt. Other species of Amphisbaenids in the Caribbean include ''

Amphisbaena bakeri Baker's worm lizard (''Amphisbaena bakeri)'' is a species of Amphisbaenia, worm lizard in the Family (biology), family Amphisbaenidae''. Geographic range ''A. bakeri'' is endemic to Puerto Rico. Habitat The preferred habitat of ''A. bakeri'' i ...

'', '' Amphisbaena fenestrata,

Amphisbaena schmidti ''Amphisbaena schmidti'', known commonly as Schmidt's worm lizard or the Puerto Rican dusky worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean. Etymology The specific name, ''sc ...

'', ''

Amphisbaena xera ''Amphisbaena xera'', known commonly as the dry worm lizard, Puerto Rican dryland worm lizard, or the North American worm lizard, is a worm lizard species. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''xera'', which is from Gree ...

'', and ''

Cadea blanoides The spotted amphisbaena (''Cadea blanoides'') is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Cadeidae. This species is endemic to the island of Cuba.

''. Amphisbaenids are legless, worm-like reptiles with elongated bodies nearly uniform in diameter. They are covered with ring-like scales similar in appearance to earthworms. They are underground animals, hence the eyes have degenerated to tiny indistinct spots under the rings.

Description

''Amphisbaena caeca'' is pinkish-brown on the head and tail, with dark spots on each of the scales found throughout its annuli (body rings), of which there are between 214 and 237 in this species. This helps distinguish it from ''A. bakeri'', whose annuli count is greater. It is one of the two largest amphisbaenids on the island (the other being ''A. bakeri''), measuring up to in snout to vent length (SVL). Like other members of its clade, it has only one median tooth. Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish its head from its tail, it is sometimes referred to as a "two-headed snake" ("''culebra de dos cabezas''") by Puerto Rican locals. According to folklore, wearing a live ''Amphisbaena'' on the body "helps safeguard pregnancy" while wearing a dead snake "helps rheumatism".

Habits

They can be found burrowing in the ground under logs, rocks, old tree stumps, and under termite and ant nests.

Habitat

They live in dense

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, thickets, and

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Geographic range

The distribution of this species is the widest of any amphisbaenid in Puerto Rico, being found throughout the central mountainous region of the island up to an elevation of . They have also been found in Isla Vieques,

Isla Culebra Isla Culebra (, ''Snake Island'') is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico and geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Viequ ...

, and the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geology, geologically and biogeography, biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Ric ...

.http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=fsbdev3_043063&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ss=110819&position=Not Yet Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=El Yunque National Forest- Nature

References

External links

Caribbean National Forest
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2844298 Reptiles of Puerto Rico caeca Reptiles described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier