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Ophidiocephalus taeniatus LUCAS & FROST, 1897

IUCN Red List - Ophidiocephalus taeniatus - Vulnerable, VU
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Higher TaxaPygopodidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Bronzeback 
SynonymOphidiocephalus taeniatus LUCAS & FROST 1897
Ophidiocephalus taeniatus — KLUGE 1993
Ophidiocephalus taeniatus — COGGER 2000: 294
Ophidocephalus [sic] taeniatus — PIANKA & VITT 2003: 27 (188)
Ophidiocephalus taeniatus — LAUBE & LANGNER 2007 
DistributionAustralia (Northern Territory, South Australia ?)

Type locality: Charlotte Waters, N. T.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NMV D11761 
DiagnosisDIAGNOSIS (genus): Ophidiocephalus differs from all other pygopodid genera in possessing the following combination of character states: a) head scales large, few in number, b) ring of ocular tissue hidden beneath orbital scales, c) parietal scales present, d) six nuchal scales, c) external auditory meatus small, hidden beneath temporal scales, f) body scales smooth, g) preanal pores absent (Kluge 1974: 142). 
CommentLimb morphology: Limbless.

Type species: Ophidiocephalus taeniatus LUCAS & FROST 1897 is the type species of the genus Ophidiocephalus LUCAS & FROST 1897.

Abundance: Rare. This is one of the species called 'lost' and 'rediscovered' by Lindken et al. 2024. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin taenia (ribbon) plus the suffix -atus (made of), referring to the color pattern. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Downes, Sharon;Foster, Ralph; Molnar, Cathy 1997. New insights into the distribution and habitat of the vulnerable Bronzeback Legless Lizard Ophidiocephalus taeniatus. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 27 (1): 11-13
  • Ehmann, Harald 1992. The apparent severe decline of the bronzeback legless lizard (Ophidiocephalus taeniatus) at Abminga. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 22 (1): 31-33
  • Kinghorn, J. Roy 1926. A brief review of the family Pygopodidae. Rec. Austral. Mus. 15 (1): 40-64 - get paper here
  • Kluge, Arnold G. 1976. Phylogenetic relationships in the lizard family Pygopodidae: an evaluation of theory, methods and data. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (152): 1-72 - get paper here
  • Laube, A. & Langner, C. 2007. Die “Geckos” Australiens. Draco 8 (29): 4-21 - get paper here
  • Lindken T.; Anderson, C. V., Ariano-Sánchez, D., Barki, G., Biggs, C., Bowles, P., Chaitanya, R., Cronin, D. T., Jähnig, S. C., Jeschke, J. M., Kennerley, R. J., Lacher, T. E. Jr., Luedtke, J. A., Liu, C., Long, B., Mallon, D., Martin, G. M., Meiri, 2024. What factors influence the rediscovery of lost tetrapod species? Global Change Biology, 30: 1-18 - get paper here
  • Lucas, A. H. S., and C. Frost. 1897. Description of two new species of lizards from central Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 9:54-56 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. & Vitt, L.J. 2003. Lizards - Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley, 347 pp. [review in Copeia 2004: 955] - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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