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Baikia africana GRAY, 1865

IUCN Red List - Baikia africana - Data Deficient, DD
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Higher TaxaAmphisbaenidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: West African Worm Lizard 
SynonymBaikia africana GRAY 1865: 373
Baikia africana — DUNGER 1965
Anops africanus — TORNIER 1902
Baikia africana — GANS 2005: 22 
DistributionN Nigeria, Cameroon ?

Type locality: ‘‘West Africa’’ (actually near Mokwa, Nigeria)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 65.5.9.7: RR1946.8.2.10. 
Diagnosis 
CommentDistribution: presence reported from Cameroon (Tornier 1902) but not confirmed (Chirio & LeBreton 2007).

Type species: Baikia africana is the type species of the genus Baikia GRAY 1865.

Abundance: only known from the type locality (Meiri et al. 2017).

Behaviour: The skin is shed periodically in one piece and the flat head is used to pack the earth on either side of the burrow by strong lateral flexion of the neck. (Dunger 1968) 
EtymologyNamed after its African origin

The genus has been named after the collector of the type, Dr. William Balfour Baikie (1825-1864). 
References
  • Chirio, L. & Lebreton, M. 2007. Atlas des reptiles du Cameroun. MNHN, IRD, Paris 688 pp.
  • Dunger, G.T. 1965. Baikia africana (family Amphisbaenidae): ecology and individual variation. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (13) 7: 217-221 - get paper here
  • Dunger, G.T. 1968. The lizards and snakes of Nigeria. Part 5: the amphisbaenids of Nigeria including a description of 3 new species. Nigerian Field 33 (4): 167-192
  • Gans, C. 2005. CHECKLIST AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE AMPHISBAENIA OF THE WORLD. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 289: 1-130 - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1865. A revision of the genera and species of amphisbaenians with the descriptions of some new species now in the collection of the British Museum. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1865: 442-455. - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1865. A revision of the genera and species of amphisbaenians with the descriptions of some new species now in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 16: 365-377 - get paper here
  • Meiri, Shai; Aaron M. Bauer, Allen Allison, Fernando Castro-Herrera, Laurent Chirio, Guarino Colli, Indraneil Das, Tiffany M. Doan, Frank Glaw, Lee L. Grismer, Marinus Hoogmoed, Fred Kraus, Matthew LeBreton, Danny Meirte, Zoltán T. Nagy, Cristiano d 2017. Extinct, obscure or imaginary: the lizard species with the smallest ranges. Diversity and Distributions - get paper here
  • Tornier, G. 1902. Die Crocodile, Schildkröten und Eidechsen in Kamerun. Zool. Jahrb., Abt. Syst., 15 (6): 663-677 - get paper here
  • Witte, G. F. de 1933. Description d'un Typhlops nouveau du Congo Belge. Rev. Zool. Bot. afr., Bruxelles, 24 (1): 104-105
 
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