Dalophia pistillum (BOETTGER, 1895)
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Dalophia pistillum
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| Higher Taxa | Amphisbaenidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Pestle-Tailed Worm Lizard |
| Synonym | Monopeltis pistillum BOETTGER 1895 Monopeltis granti BOULENGER 1907 Monopeltis colobura BOULENGER 1910 Monopeltis jallae PERACCA 1910 Monopeltis colobura — LOVERIDGE 1920: 145 Monopeltis granti transvaalensis FITZSIMONS 1933 Monopeltis mossambica COTT 1934 Monopeltis granti transvaalensis — MONARD 1937: 67 Monopeltis granti kuanyamarum MONARD 1937: 67 Dalophia pistillum — LOVERIDGE 1941 Monopeltis granti granti — FITZSIMONS 1943: 386 Monopeltis granti colobura — FITZSIMONS 1943: 388 Monopeltis granti transvaalensis — FITZSIMONS 1943: 389 Tomuropeltis pistillum — BROADLEY 1962 Dalophia pistillum — AUERBACH 1987: 142 Tomuropeltis pistillum — FRANK & RAMUS 1995 Tomuropeltis granti — FRANK & RAMUS 1995 Tomuropeltis granti colobura Tomuropeltis granti transvaalensis Tomuropeltis jallae Dalophia pistillum — GANS 2005: 31 Dalophia transvaalensis — GANS 2005: 31 Dalophia pistillum — LONGRICH et al. 2015 Dalophia pistillum — PIETERSEN et al. 2021 Dalophia pistillum — STANDER 2023: 69 |
| Distribution | N Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Republic of South Africa (Cape Province, Transvaal), Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia Type locality: Sambesi, Ostafrika |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntypes: SMF 11833 (formerly 5455 2a), three specimens Holotype: MSNG 37466 [jallae] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium to large (320 to 560 mm. snout-vent length in adults) species of Dalophia, with the dorsal surface (generally to just ventral of the lateral sulci, sometimes irregularly more ventral, particularly beneath the tail) with gray speckling that may concentrate along the annular and segmental edges. The species has 280 to 352 body, two to five lateral and 19 to 33 caudal annuli, 17 to 30 (generally 20, 22, or 24) dorsal plus 12 to 17 (generally 14) ventral segments to a midbody annulus and two to six (usually four) first and seven to 14 (generally nine to 10) second postgenials. The azygous head shields are broadly fused and only blind lateral sutures remain (absent in one specimen). The most heavily keratinized zone does not reach the parietal edge of the shield and is also scalloped medially over the blind sutures. There are no preoculars. The nasals are usually in median contact and usually just fail to reach the lip, their slender posterior processes (or asymmetrically split off postnasals) usually contact the oculars. There are four (rarely six) parietal shields. The pectoral region has six elongate shields, often somewhat irregularly arranged and with the medial pair much the widest posteriorly. The four midventral segments of the precloacal annulus are enlarged and more or less wedged between the medial and adjoining pairs of pectorals. Lateral and middorsal sulci are clearly expressed, particularly in larger specimens. Additions or subtractions of dorsal half-annuli are few, but occur mainly in the second 50 body annuli. The species lacks a herringbone pattern of dorsal interannular sutures on the trunk as well as caudal autotomy. The middorsal segments of the tail may be partially or completely fused across the midline. The interannular sutures here form an anteriorly acute set of angles with the median (their points are often rounded). Each leg of the chevron is as wide as three or four more anterior segments. [See section on geographic variation.] (Broadley et al. 1976: 463) Additional details (3737 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Synonymy: LAURENT (1964) considered this form distinct and possibly would include granti and transvaalensis in its synonymy (after GANS 1967). FITZSIMONS (1943) included ellenbergeri in the synonymy of T. granti (after GANS 1967). Synonymy modified after Broadley et al. (1976). Subspecies: Loveridge (1941) considered both all subspecies of Tomuropeltis granti as synonyms of T. pistillum. LAURENT (1964) considered mossambica a valid species (or race) as well as colobura, the latter with luluae as a subspecies. |
| Etymology | Named after Latin pistillum, pestle, a tool used for grinding in a mortar. |
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