.::::: Amphisbaenia of the World - Amphisbaena :::::.
Last update: 25 December, 2003

This genus consist of 65 species, most of which are distributed in South America, but also with a large number of endemic species in the caribbean area.
Amphisbaena cegei
(© Dirk Embert)
Amphisbaena alba Linnaeus, 1758

Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad and Venezuela.

Amphisbaena anamariae Vanzolini, 1997

Distribution: Brazil.

Amphisbaena angustifrons Cope, 1861

Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Amphisbaena arenaria Vanzolini, 1991

Distribution: Brazil.

Amphisbaena bakeri Stejneger, 1904

Distribution: Puerto Rico.

Amphisbaena barbouri Gans & Alexander, 1962

Distribution: Cuba.

Amphisbaena blanoides (Stejneger, 1906)

Distribution: Cuba.

Amphisbaena bolivica Mertens, 1929

Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.

Amphisbaena caeca Cuvier, 1829

Distribution: Puerto Rico.

Amphisbaena carlgansi Thomas & Hedges, 1998

Distribution: Cuba.

Amphisbaena carvalhoi Gans, 1965

Distribution: Brazil.

Amphisbaena caudalis Cochran, 1928

Distribution: Haiti.

Amphisbaena cegei Montero, Sáfadez & Álvarez, 1997

Distribution: Bolivia.

Amphisbaena crisae Vanzolini, 1997

Distribution: Brazil.

Amphisbaena cubana Gundlach & Peters in Peters, 1879

Distribution: Cuba.

Amphisbaena cunhai Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires, 1991

Distribution: Brazil.

Amphisbaena darwinii Duméril & Bibron, 1839

  • darwinii
    • Duméril & Bibron, 1839
    • heterozonata Burmeister, 1861
  • trachura (Cope, 1885)
    •

    Distribution: Argentina (heterozonata), Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
    Amphisbaena dubia Müller, 1924

    Distribution: Argentina and Brazil.

    Amphisbaena fenestrata (Cope, 1861)

    Distribution: British Virgin Island and US Virgin Islands.

    Amphisbaena frontalis Vanzolini, 1991

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena fuliginosa Linnaeus, 1758

  • fuliginosa
    • Linnaeus, 1758
    • amazonica Vanzolini, 1951
  • bassleri Vanzolini, 1951
    • varia Laurenti, 1768
  • wiedi Vanzolini, 1951
    •

    Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil (fuliginosa, varia), Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad and Venezuela.

    Amphisbaena gonavensis Gans & Alexander, 1962

  • gonavensis
    • Gans & Alexander, 1962
  • leberi Thomas, 1962
    •

    Distribution: Dominican Republic and Haiti.
    Amphisbaena gracilis Strauch, 1881

    Distribution: Venezuela.

    Amphisbaena hastata Vanzolini, 1991

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena heathi Schmidt, 1936

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena hogei Vanzolini, 1950

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena hugoi Vanzolini, 1989

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena hyporissor Thomas, 1965

    Distribution: Dominican Republic and Haiti.

    Amphisbaena ignatiana Vanzolini, 1991

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena innocens Weinland, 1862

    Distribution: Dominican Republic and Haiti.

    Amphisbaena leeseri Gans, 1964

    Distribution: Brazil and Paraguay.

    Amphisbaena leucocephala Peters, 1879

    Distribution: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

    Amphisbaena lumbricalis Vanzolini, 1996

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena manni Barbour, 1914

    Distribution: Dominican Republic and Haiti.

    Amphisbaena medemi Gans & Mathers, 1977

    Distribution: Colombia.

    Amphisbaena mensae Castro-Mello, 2001

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena mertensii Strauch, 1881

    Distribution: Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

    Amphisbaena minuta Hulse & McCoy, 1979

    Distribution: Argentina.

    Amphisbaena miringoera Vanzolini, 1971

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena mitchelli Procter, 1923

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena munoai Klappenbach, 1960

    Distribution: Brazil and Uruguay.

    Amphisbaena myersi Hoogmoed, 1989

    Distribution: Surinam.

    Amphisbaena neglecta Dunn & Piatt, 1936

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena nigricauda Gans, 1966

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena occidentalis Cope, 1876

  • occidentalis
    • Cope, 1876
  • townsendi Stejneger, 1911
    •

    Distribution: Peru.
    Amphisbaena pallirostrata (Dickerson, 1916)

    Distribution: Cuba.

    Amphisbaena pericensis Noble, 1921

    Distribution: Peru.

    Amphisbaena plumbea Gray, 1872

    Distribution: Argentina.

    Amphisbaena polygrammica Werner, 1900

    Distribution: Peru.

    Amphisbaena pretrei Duméril & Bibron, 1839

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena prunicolor (Cope, 1885)

  • prunicolor
    • (Cope, 1885)
  • albocingulata Boettger, 1885

    • Distribution: Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
    Amphisbaena ridleyi Boulenger, 1890

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena rozei Lancini, 1963

    Distribution: Venezuela.

    Amphisbaena sanctaeritae Vanzolini, 1994

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena schmidti Gans, 1964

    Distribution: Puerto Rico.

    Amphisbaena silvestrii Boulenger, 1902

    Distribution: Bolivia and Brazil.

    Amphisbaena slateri Boulenger, 1907

    Distribution: Bolivia and Peru.

    Amphisbaena slevini Schmidt, 1936

    Distribution: Brazil and French Guiana.

    Amphisbaena spurrelli Boulenger, 1915

    Distribution: Colombia, Panama and Venezuela.

    Amphisbaena stejnegeri Ruthven, 1922

    Distribution: Guyana.

    Amphisbaena talisiae Vanzolini, 1995

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena tragorrhectes Vanzolini, 1971

    Distribution: Brazil.

    Amphisbaena vanzolinii Gans, 1963

    Distribution: Brazil, Guyana and Surinam.

    Amphisbaena vermicularis Wagler, 1824

    Distribution: Bolivia and Brazil.

    Amphisbaena xera Thomas, 1966

    Distribution: Puerto Rico.

    Literature
    Alvarez, B.B. 1996. Geographic Distribution. Amphisbaena mertensii. Herpetol. Rev., 27(1): 31.
    Alvarez, B.B. 1996. Geographic Distribution. Amphisbaena prunicolor prunicolor. Herpetol. Rev., 27(1): 31.
    Boulenger, G.A. 1915. Descriptions of a new Amphisbaena and a new Snake discovered by Dr. H.G.F. Spurrell in Southern Colombia. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1915(4): 659-661.
    Brito, S.P., D.V. Andrade & A.S. Abe. 2001. Amphisbaena mertensi. Defensive Behavior. Herpetol. Rev., 32(1): 43-44.
    Cabrera, M.R. & H.O. Merlini. 1990. The diet of Amphisbaena darwinii heterozonata in Argentina. Herpetol. Rev., 21: 53-54.
    Chalkidis, H.de M. 2000. Geographic Distribution. Amphisbaena fuliginosa varia. Herpetol. Rev., 31(4): 253.
    Chalkidis, H.de M., A.C. Cordeiro-Duarte & R.C. Vogt. 2002. Geographic Distribution. Amphisbaena fuliginosa fuliginosa. Herpetol. Rev., 33(2): 148.
    Colli, G.R. & D.R. Zamboni. 1999. Ecology of the Worm-Lizard Amphisbaena alba in the Cerrado of central Brazil. Copeia, 1999: 733-742.
    Cruz-Neto, A.P. & A.S. Abe. 1993. Diet composition of two syntopic species of Neotropical amphisbaenians, Cercolophia roberti and Amphisbaena mertensii. J. Herpetol., 27: 239-240.
    Cusumano, M. & R. Powell. 1991. A note on the diet of Amphisbaena gonavensis in the Dominican Republic. Amphibia-Reptilia, 12: 350-352.
    Gans, C. 1963. Redescription of Amphisbaena ridleyi Boulenger. Copeia, 1963(1): 102-107.
    Gans, C. 1964. New Records of Amphisbaena silvestrii Boulenger, and the Description of a New Two-pored Species from the Northern Chaco. Copeia, 1964(3): 553-561.
    Gans, C. 1966. Studies on amphisbaenids (Amphisbaenia, Reptilia). 3. The small species from southern South America commonly identified as Amphisbaena darwini. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 134: 185-260.
    Gans, C. & C.O. Diefenbach. 1970. Amphisbaena. In: Peters, J.A. & R. Donoso-Barros (eds.). Catalogue of the Neotropical Squamata. Part II. Lizards and Amphisbenians. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 297: 1-293.
    Hoogmoed, M.S. & T.C.S. de Ávila-Pires. 1991. A New Species of Small Amphisbaena (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia: Amphisbaenidae) from Western Amazonian Brazil. Bol. Mus. Para. Emilio Goeldi, sér. Zool., 7(1): 77-94.
    Mangione, S. & R. Montero. 2001. The Endolymphatic Sacs in Embryos of Amphisbaena darwini. J. Herpetol., 35(3): 524-529.
    Montero, R. 2001. Amphisbaena cegei. Cat. Amer. Amphib. Rept., 726: 1-3.
    Montero, R. & J. Céspedez. 2002. New two-pored Amphisbaena (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Argentina. Copeia, 2002(3):792-797
    Montero, R., I.F. Sáfadez & L.G. Álvarez. 1997. A New Species of Amphisbaena from Bolivia. J. Herpetol., 31(2): 218-220.
    Neto, A.P.C. & A.S. Abe. 1993. Diet Composition of Two Syntopic Species of Neotropical Amphisbaenians, Cercolophia roberti and Amphisbaena mertensii. J. Herpetol., 27(2): 239-240.
    Peters, W.C.H. 1879. Über vier neue amerikanische Amphisbaena-Arten. Mber. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1878: 778-781.
    Powell, R. 1992. Amphisbaena gonavensis. Cat. Amer. Amphib. Rept., 539: 1-3.
    Pregill, G.1984. Durophagous Feeding Adaptations in an Amphisbaenid. J. Herpetol., 18(2): 186-191.
    Riley, J., J.M. Winch, A.F. Stimson & R.D. Pope. 1986. The association of Amphisbaena alba (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia) with the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes in Trinidad. J. Nat. Hist., 20: 459-470.
    Rodrigues, M.T. 2002 (2003). Herpetofauna of the Quaternary sand dunes of the Middle Rio São Francisco, Bahia, Brazil. VIII. Amphisbaena arda sp. nov., a fuliginosa-like checkered patterned Amphisbaena (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae). Phyllomedusa, 1(2):51-56
    Thomas, K.R. & R. Thomas. 1978. Locomotor Activity Responses to Photoperiod in Four West Indian Fossorial Squamates of the Genera Amphisbaena and Typhlops (Reptilia, Lacertilia). J. Herpetol., 12(1): 35-41.
    Thomas, R. 1966. Additional Notes on the Amphisbaenids of Greater Puerto Rico. Breviora, 249: 1-23.
    Thomas, R. & S.B. Hedges. 1998. A New Amphisbaenian from Cuba. J. Herpetol., 32(1): 92-96.
    White, L.R., R. Powell, J.S. Parmerlee, Jr., A. Lathrop & D.D. Smith. 1992. Food Habits of Three Syntopic Reptiles from the Barahona Peninsula, Hispaniola. J. Herpetol., 26(4): 518-520.