Monopeltis zambezensis GANS & BROADLEY, 1974

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Higher Taxa	Amphisbaenidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Zambezi wedge-snouted amphisbaenian
Synonym	Monopeltis zambezensis, GANS & BROADLEY 1974 Monopeltis zambezensis — BROADLEY 1997: 10 Monopeltis zambezensis — GANS 2005: 38 Monopeltis zambezensis — PIETERSEN et al. 2021
Distribution	Zimbabwe (Zambezi River valley around Kariba Dam), Zambia, and presumably western Mozambique Type locality: Mana Pools National Park, Urungwe District, Zimbabwe.
Reproduction
Types	Holotype: NMZB, previously UM 5557. Paratypes: CG 2720, UM 5558 (Mana Pools); UM 50412–50414 (Bumi Confluence, Kariba Lake).
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: A derived slender species of the M. capensis complex, distinguished from all other species by having 216-263 body annuli (176-226 in other species) and less than three, or even negative numbers of supernumerary dorsal half-annuli. The low count of 226 body annuli previously recorded for the paratype NMZB-UM 5528 was too low by about 20, as there is an area of extensive damage just caudad of the pectorals. Pigmentation "consists of grey stipple on the posterior two-thirds of the dorsum, which is usually concentrated along the vertebral line, often appearing as a distinct stripe, tail tip usually solidly pigmented above and below. The dorsal head shield usually shows short blind lateral sutures, especially in eastern material, and there is a slight lateral indentation for the elongate ocular, which is in contact with the second supralabial. Usually four postgenials in the first row and 5 or 6 in the second. Apparently the smallest species in the complex, the maximum recorded snout-vent length being 275 mm (other species attain 290 to 340 mm). (Broadley 1997) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 642 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details.
Comment
Etymology	Named after the type locality.
References	Broadley, D. G. 1997. A review of the Monopeltis capensis complex in southern Africa (Reptilia: Amphisbaenidae). African Journal of Herpetology 46 (1): 1-12. - get paper here Broadley, D.G., Gans,C. & Visser, J. 1976. Studies on Amphisbaenians. (6). The Genera Monopeltis and Dalophia in Southern Africa. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 157 (5): 311-486 - get paper here Gans, C. 2005. CHECKLIST AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE AMPHISBAENIA OF THE WORLD. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 289: 1-130 - get paper here Gans, C. & Broadley, D.G. 1974. A new dwarfed species of Monopeltis from the middle Zambezi Valley (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia). Arnoldia, Rhodesia 6 (35): 1-5 Pietersen, Darren, Verburgt, Luke & Davies, John 2021. Snakes and other reptiles of Zambia and Malawi. Struik Nature / Penguin Random House South Africa, 376 pp., ISBN 9781775847373
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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