Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard

Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard (Zygaspis vandami), also known commonly as the sand-dwelling dwarf worm lizard and Van Dam's round-headed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to southern Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

Van Dam's dwarf worm lizard
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	Amphisbaenia
Family:	Amphisbaenidae
Genus:	Zygaspis
Species:	Z. vandami
Binomial name
Zygaspis vandami (V. FitzSimons, 1930)
Synonyms[1]
Amphisbaena vandami V. FitzSimons, 1930 Zygaspis violacea vandami — V. FitzSimons, 1943 Zygaspis vandami – D. Broadley & S. Broadley, 1997

Etymology

The specific name, vandami, is in honor of South African Herpetologist Gerhardus Petrus Frederick Van Dam (died 1927).^[2]

Geographic range

Z. vandami is found in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Z. vandami are sand, sandy-soils, and humus-rich soils.^[1]

Description

One of the smaller species in its genus, Z. vandami usually has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in). The maximum recorded SVL is 18.5 cm (7.3 in). It is uniformly dark purplish brown dorsally, and light purple ventrally. The chin and the anal area are white.^[3]

Behavior

A burrowing species, Z. vandami is usually found under logs and stones.^[1]

Reproduction

Z. vandami is oviparous.^[1]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[1]

• Zygaspis vandami arenicola D. Broadley & S. Broadley, 1997
• Zygaspis vandami vandami (V. FitzSimons, 1930)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Zygaspis.