Amphisbaena alba
| Amphisbaena alba | |
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| Species: | A. alba
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| Amphisbaena alba | |
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| Range of A. alba (in red) in South America | |
Amphisbaena alba, also known as the red worm lizard[1] or less commonly as the white or white-bellied worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the reptilian order Squamata. Despite the large geographic range that this species covers, little is known about its ecology due to its secretive habits.[2] A. alba has a diverse diet ranging from plant material to small vertebrates.[2] Numerically, beetles, ants, and spiders compose the majority of their diet; however, ants, insect larvae, and beetles are ingested to satisfy a larger volume.[2]
Geographic range
It occurs in South America from eastern Venezuela and Trinidad through the entire Amazon Basin to northern Argentina.[1] A. alba has the largest geographic range of all the amphisbaenians.[2]
Reproduction
Reproduction for this species occurs in the dry season of its geographical area.[2] Some evidence suggests that this species exploits the living space of the leaf-cutting ant and may even use the nests of these ants to deposit its eggs.[2] A. alba lays the greatest number of eggs at a time (8–16) in comparison to other amphisbaenians, which is possibly due to its large body size.[2] There is no sexual dimorphism in regard to snout-vent length, meristic, or morphometric characters for A. alba most likely due to functional constraints related to their burrowing nature.[2]
The ultrastructure of epididymal spermatozoa has been studied for A. alba.[3] Mature spermatozoa are filiform and are characterized by features such as a depression in the transverse section of the acrosome, a moderately long midpiece, columnar mitochondria, an elongated nucleus, and a fibrous sheath in the midpiece.[3]
Epidermal glands are located in the cloacal region of A. alba and are most likely used for reproduction and marking territory.[4] The openings of the glands are plugged with a solid, holocrine secretion that is removed when it moves through tunnels and leaves a secretion trail.[4]
Erythrocyte characteristics
The stages of ultrastructural changes of organelles in developing erythroid cells are similar to the developmental changes in other vertebrate groups.[5] The greatest difference is the periodical transverse alignment of hemoglobin molecules in the organelle matrix of the hemosomes.[5] The transformation of the erythroid cell organelles for hemoglobin biosynthesis occurs slowly.[6] This is due to the low metabolic rate of A. alba which is a result of the hypoxic environment where it lives.[6]
Defensive tactics
When A. alba assumes a defensive posture it bends its body into the shape of a horseshoe and raises both the head and the tail.[7] The tail is made of tough collagen bundles that allows the tail to absorb mechanical pressure from a bite.[7] The body of A. alba is also covered with a flexible armor which makes other areas resistant to bites as well.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Template:IUCN
- ^ a b c d e f g h Guarino R. Colli; Dario S. Zamboni (1999). "Ecology of the worm-lizard Amphisbaena alba in the Cerrado of central Brazil". Copeia. 1999 (3): 733–742. doi:10.2307/1447606. JSTOR 1447606.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|last-author-amp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Ruscaia D. Teixeira; Guarino R. Colli; Sônia N. Báo (1999). "The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of the worm lizard Amphisbaena alba (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae) and the phylogenetic relationships of amphisbaenians". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 77 (8): 1254–1264. doi:10.1139/z99-089.
- ^ a b "Epidermal glands in Squamata: microscopical examination of precloacal glands in Amphisbaena alba (Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae)". Journal of Morphology. 241 (3): 197–206. 1999. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199909)241:3<197::AID-JMOR2>3.0.CO;2-5. PMID 10461130.
{{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=(help) - ^ a b C. Jared; M. M. Antoniazzi; I. S. Sano-Martins; A. Brunner Jr. (1995). "Ultrastructural cytology of maturing erythroid cells in a fossorial reptile (Amphisbaena alba) with reference to hemoglobin biosynthesis". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A. 112 (3–4): 487–494. doi:10.1016/0300-9629(95)02017-9.
- ^ a b D. D. Spadacci-Morena; C. Jared; M. M. Antoniazzi; O. Brunner; P. Morena; A. Brunner Jr (1998). "Comparative cytomorphology of maturing amphisbaenian (Amphisbaena alba) and snake (Waglerophis merremii) erythroid cells with regard to haemoglobin biosynthesis". Comparative Haematology International. 8 (1): 7–15. doi:10.1007/BF02628098.
- ^ a b c Carlos Jared; Marta Marta Antoniazzi; Edna Freymüller; Luiz Carlos Uchôa Junquerira (1998). "A possible advantage of displaying the tail: a comparison between the tail and body integument structure in Amphisbaena alba and Leposternon microcephalum (Squamata, Amphisbaenia)". Annales des Sciences Naturelles – Zoologie et Biologie Animale. 19 (2): 89–97. doi:10.1016/S0003-4339(98)80003-8.
Further reading
- Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II...Amphisbænidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers.) xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I.- XXIV. (Amphisbæna alba, pp. 438–439.)
- Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum clases, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, diferentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata. Stockholm: L. Salvius. 824 pp. (Amphisbæna alba, p. 229.)
External links
Media related to Amphisbaena alba at Wikimedia Commons
