Amphisbaena caudalis COCHRAN, 1928
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Amphisbaena caudalis
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| Higher Taxa | Amphisbaenidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Cayemite Long-tailed Wormlizard, Cayemite Long-tailed Amphisbaena |
| Synonym | Amphisbaena caudalis COCHRAN 1928: 58 Amphisbaena caudalis — BARBOUR 1937: 146 Amphisbaena innocens caudalis — GANS & ALEXANDER 1962 Amphisbaena innocens caudalis — GANS 1967: 72 Amphisbaena caudalis — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 556 Amphisbaena caudalis — GANS 2005: 12 Amphisbaena caudalis — THOMAS & HEDGES 2006 |
| Distribution | Hispaniola (Grande Cayemite Island and the adjacent Baradères Peninsula of Haiti) Type locality: Île Grande Cayemite, Département de la Grand'Anse, Haiti. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MCZ 25550. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Amphisbaena caudalis is a moderate-sized (to 247 mm SVL), slender, relatively short-headed, long-tailed species of Amphisbaena with caudal autotomy; it lacks major alterations of the head scales and has the Y chin configuration, has wide body annuli posteriorly, a high number of caudal annuli, and large “difference counts.” In small head size, slenderness, long tails (9-10% SVL), high caudal annuli counts, and high “difference counts,” it superficially resembles A. hyporissor but differs from that species in having the Y chin configuration, and in the broad median contact of the first pair of parietals. Caudal autotomy occurs modally at annulus six in A. caudalis and annulus five in A. hyporissor. Amphisbaena hyporissor and A. gonavensis are similar in having the M chin configuration and the tendency toward narrowing of the median contact of the first pair of parietals, but A. gonavensis has a short tail and correspondingly low caudal annular counts (10-13); it also has low “difference counts” (-2-2), which do not overlap with those of A. caudalis (Gans and Alexander 1962). Amphisbaena caudalis differs from the widespread A. innocens in being more slender (Fig. 3B in THOMAS & HEDGES 2006), having a smaller head (Fig. 3C), a strong mode of 4 scales in the second row of postgenials (vs. a strong mode of 5 in A. innocens) a shorter first infralabial (Fig. 3D), a longer tail (Fig. 3A), higher caudal annular counts (17-21 vs. 9-15), caudal autotomy, greater “difference counts” of body annuli, proportionately larger (longer) posterior body annuli, less difference in the length of the annular segments between dorsum and venter, and in proportionately larger hemipenes ornamented with larger pleats. (Thomas & Hedges 2006). |
| Comment | Illustrations: Cochran, 1941; Gans and Alexander, 1962 (as A. innocens caudalis). |
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