The Middle Congo worm lizard (''Monopeltis schoutedeni'') is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
amphisbaenia
Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. A ...
n in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Amphisbaenidae
The Amphisbaenidae (common name: worm lizards) are a Family (biology), family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates. There are 12 genera, containing 183 species.
Geographic range
Amphisbaenids occur in South America, some Caribbean ...
. The species is indigenous to
Central Africa
Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''schoutedeni'', is in honor of Belgian zoologist
Henri Eugene Alphonse Hubert Schouteden.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Monopeltis schoutedeni'', p. 237).]
Geographic range
''M. schoutedeni'' is found in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
and
Gabon
Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
.
Reproduction
The
mode of reproduction of ''M. schoutedeni'' is unknown.
[
]
References
Further reading
* de Witte G-F (1933). "''Description de deux amphisbaenides nouveaux du Congo Belge''". ''Revue de Zoologie Africain'' 23 (2): 168–171. (''Monopeltis schoutedeni'', new species). (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 schoutedeni'', p. 37).
* Pauwels OSG, Albert J-L, Lenglet GL (2010). "Reptilia, Amphisbaenidae, ''Monopeltis schoutedeni'' de Witte, 1933: First record from Gabon, with an updated key to Gabonese worm lizards". ''Check List'' 6 (3): 476–478.
Monopeltis
Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Reptiles of Gabon
Reptiles described in 1933
Taxa named by Gaston-François de Witte
{{Amphisbaenidae-stub