| Basic info | Taxonomic history | Classification | Included Taxa |
| Morphology | Ecology and taphonomy | External Literature Search | Age range and collections |
Amphisbaenidae (worm lizard)
Taxonomy
Amphisbaenidae was named by Gray (1865). It is extant.
It was reranked as the unranked clade Amphisbaenidae by Kearney (2003) and Longrich et al. (2015).
It was assigned to Ophiosauri by Cope (1871); to Opheosauri by Cope (1875); to Lacertae by Gadow (1898); to Sauria by Hay (1902); to Lacertidi by Perrier (1928); to Scincoidae by Hay (1930); to Amphisbaenia by Kuhn (1946); to Lacertilia by McGrew et al. (1959) and Young (1961); to Amphisbaenia by Estes (1983); to Annulata by Carroll (1988); to Amphisbaenoidea by Kearney (2003); to Amphisbaenia by Seiffert (1975) and Head (2005); to Squamata by Böhme (2008); to Amphisbaenia by Kuhn (1966), Frank and Ramus (1996) and Böhme (2010); and to Amphisbaeniformes by Longrich et al. (2015).
It was reranked as the unranked clade Amphisbaenidae by Kearney (2003) and Longrich et al. (2015).
It was assigned to Ophiosauri by Cope (1871); to Opheosauri by Cope (1875); to Lacertae by Gadow (1898); to Sauria by Hay (1902); to Lacertidi by Perrier (1928); to Scincoidae by Hay (1930); to Amphisbaenia by Kuhn (1946); to Lacertilia by McGrew et al. (1959) and Young (1961); to Amphisbaenia by Estes (1983); to Annulata by Carroll (1988); to Amphisbaenoidea by Kearney (2003); to Amphisbaenia by Seiffert (1975) and Head (2005); to Squamata by Böhme (2008); to Amphisbaenia by Kuhn (1966), Frank and Ramus (1996) and Böhme (2010); and to Amphisbaeniformes by Longrich et al. (2015).
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1865 | Amphisbaenidae Gray |
| 1871 | Amphisbaenidae Cope p. 237 |
| 1875 | Amphisbaenidae Cope p. 20 |
| 1898 | Amphisbaenidae Gadow p. 27 |
| 1902 | Amphisbaenidae Hay p. 476 |
| 1928 | Amphisbaenidae Perrier p. 3098 |
| 1930 | Amphisbaenidae Hay p. 249 |
| 1946 | Amphisbaenidae Kuhn p. 61 |
| 1959 | Amphisbaenidae McGrew et al. p. 136 |
| 1961 | Amphisbaenidae Young p. 118 |
| 1966 | Amphisbaenidae Kuhn p. 69 |
| 1975 | Amphisbaenidae Seiffert p. 10 |
| 1983 | Amphisbaenidae Estes |
| 1988 | Amphisbaenidae Carroll |
| 1996 | Amphisbaenidae Frank and Ramus |
| 2003 | Amphisbaenidae Kearney |
| 2005 | Amphisbaenidae Head |
| 2008 | Amphisbaenidae Böhme p. 169 |
| 2010 | Amphisbaenidae Böhme p. 26 |
| 2015 | Amphisbaenidae Longrich et al. |
Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data
|
|
If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
Unr. Amphisbaenidae Gray 1865 [worm lizard]
show all | hide all
G. Amphisbaena Linnaeus 1758
hide
Amphisbaena alba Linneaus 1758 [Red worm lizard]
†Amphisbaena braestrupi Gans and Montero 1998
Amphisbaena caeca Cuvier 1829 [Blind worm lizard]
Amphisbaena cubana Gundlach and Peters 1878 [Cuban worm lizard]
Amphisbaena darwini Dumeril and Bibron 1839 [Darwin's ringed worm lizard]
Amphisbaena fenestrata Cope 1861 [Cope's worm lizard]
Amphisbaena fuliginosa Linneaus 1758 [Speckled worm lizard]
Amphisbaena gonavensis Gans and Alexander 1962 [Gonave worm lizard]
Amphisbaena innocens Weinland 1862 [Innocent worm lizard]
†Amphisbaena laurenti Gans and Montero 1998
Amphisbaena vermicularis Wagler 1824 [Wagler's worm lizard]
G. Ancyclocranium Parker 1942 [Sharp-snouted worm lizards]
G. Anops Bell 1833 [King's worm lizards]
G. Baikia Gray 1865 [West African worm lizards]
G. Blanus Wagler 1830
hide
Blanus cinereus Vandelli 1797 [Mediterranean worm lizard]
†Blanus gracilis Roček 1984
†Blanus mendezi Bolet et al. 2014
Blanus strauchi Bedriaga 1884 [Turkish worm lizard]
†Blanus thomaskelleri Cernansky et al. 2015
Invalid names: Omoiotyphlops de Rochebrune 1884 [synonym]
G. Bronia Gray 1865 [Brazilian worm lizards]
Invalid names: Rhineurinae Vanzolini 1951 [empty]
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| E. Perrier 1928 | Corps vermiforme. Membres absents, au moins les postérieurs; queue très courte. Peau molle, dessinant des anneaux, eux-mêmes divisés en petites plaques carrées, derniers rudiments des écailles qui n'ont persisté que sur la tête. Yeux cachés sous la peau; pas d'oreilles. Bouche très petite, souvent reléguée en dessous. Crâne fortement ossifié, sans septum interorbitaire,sans columelle ni arcs. Langue bifide, couverte de papilles en forme d'écaillés. Reptiles à vie souterraine, surtout termitophiles ou myrmécophiles, creusant des galeries où ils peuvent se déplacer en avant et en arrière (amphi, de deux côtés, baiseis, marcher). Sur le sol, progressent par ondulations verticales. Insectivores. Dents grandes, peu nombreuses. — Afrique et Amérique. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|||||
|
|
||||
| Source: f = family, infrao = infraorder, c = class, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Behler and King 1979, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Pianka and Vitt 2003 | |||||
Age range
Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Middle Campanian to the top of the Holocene or 83.50000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 70.6 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 70.6 Ma
Collections (89 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian | Mongolia (Omnogov) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (181538) | |
| Danian | Belgium (Hainaut) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (132949) | |
| Tiffanian | USA (North Dakota) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (15000) | |
| Thanetian | France (Champagne-Ardenne) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (87925) | |
| Ypresian | Belgium (Brabant) | Amphisbaenidae indet., Campinosaurus woutersi (35531) | |
| Ypresian | France (Marne) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (35533 35535) | |
| Early/Lower Eocene | Portugal (Região Centro) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (79200) | |
| Early/Lower Eocene | France (Var) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (35538) | |
| MP 8 + 9 | France (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (179145) | |
| Bridgerian | USA (Wyoming) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (15837) | |
| Bartonian | France (Picardie Region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (12847) | |
| Bartonian | France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) | Omoiotyphlops sp. (183350) Omoiotyphlops sp., Amphisbaenidae indet. (31736) | |
| Priabonian | Switzerland | Amphisbaenidae indet. (31743) | |
| Priabonian | France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (31758) | |
| Priabonian | France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (12853) | |
| Priabonian | France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (12841 12842 12843 12849 12852 12854) | |
| Chadronian | Canada (Saskatchewan) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (16919) | |
| Late/Upper Eocene | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (12850) | |
| MP 17A - MP 17B | United Kingdom (England) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (28747) | |
| MP 19 | France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (12846) | |
| Late/Upper Eocene - Early/Lower Miocene | France (Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées) | Omoiotyphlops priscus (179194) | |
| Early/Lower Oligocene | France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (31583) | |
| MP 21 | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (36708) | |
| MP 22 | France (Midi-Pyrenées) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (167513 167533 167537) | |
| MP 23 | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (179147) | |
| Rupelian | USA (South Carolina) | Blanus sp. (182155) | |
| MP 25 | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (36717) | |
| MP 25 | France | Amphisbaenidae indet. (60214) | |
| Whitneyan | USA (Florida) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (17341) | |
| Arikareean | USA (South Dakota) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (17516) | |
| MP 26 | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (36718) | |
| MP 28 | France (Quercy) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (36712 36715) | |
| MP 30 | Germany (Bavaria) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (84364) | |
| MP 30 | France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (179146) | |
| Chattian | France | Amphisbaenidae indet. (60281) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | Switzerland (Aargau) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (201974) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | Kenya | Listromycter leakeyi, Lophocranion rusingense (63507) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene - Middle Miocene | Spain (Castile-La Mancha) | Omoiotyphlops sp., Blanus sp., Amphisbaenidae indet. (136269) | |
| MN 2 | Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate) | Blanus thomaskelleri (167464) | |
| Burdigalian | Saudi Arabia | Amphisbaenidae indet. (47069) | |
| Burdigalian | Italy (Sardinia) | Blanus gracilis (138825) | |
| MN 3 | Germany (Baden-Württemberg) | Blanus antiquus (69179) | |
| Orleanian | Czech Republic (Moravia) | Blanus sp. (200140) | |
| Orleanian | Czech Republic (Ústí nad Labem) | Blanus thomaskelleri (48173) | |
| MN 4 | Czech Republic (Karlovy Vary) | Omoiotyphlops gracilis, Squamata indet. II (138666) | |
| Langhian | Kenya | Amphisbaenidae indet. (22069 22081) | |
| Langhian | Spain (Catalonia) | Blanus sp. (180192) | |
| MN 5 | Austria (Lower Austria) | Blanus antiquus (205096) | |
| MN 5 | Austria | Amphisbaenidae indet. (174065 174067) | |
| MN 5 - MN 6 | Turkey (Ankara) | Blanus sp. (68561) | |
| Langhian - Serravallian | France (Midi-Pyrenees) | Amphisbaenidae indet., Blanus sp., Blanus antiquus (32191) | |
| Astaracian | Morocco (Tadla-Azilal) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (48630) | |
| Middle Miocene | Spain (Catalonia) | Blanus mendezi (174064) | |
| MN 6 | Germany (Bayern) | Blanus antiquus (49521) | |
| MN 7 + 8 | Turkey (Afyon) | Blanus strauchi (199779) | |
| Sarmatian | Romania (Arad) | Blanus gracilis (135812) | |
| Vallesian | Ukraine (Khmel'nitsk'yi) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (48446) | |
| Vallesian | Spain | Amphisbaenidae indet. (40765) | |
| Turolian | Spain (Granada) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (35077) | |
| MN 12 | Ukraine (Odessa) | Blanus strauchi (230603 230604) | |
| Ruscinian | Turkey (Ankara) | Amphisbaenidae indet. (34370) | |
| Late/Upper Pliocene | France | Blanus sp. (49096) | |
| Late/Upper Pliocene | Spain (Alcolea de Calatrava) | Blanus cinereus (224542) | |
| Late/Upper Pliocene | Morocco | Blanus sp. (32052) | |
| MN 16 | Spain (Catalonia) | Blanus cinereus (167736) | |
| Villanyian | Spain (Castellon) | Blanus cinereus (34929) | |
| Pleistocene | Brazil (Minas Gerais) | Amphisbaena braestrupi, Amphisbaena laurenti (63430) | |
| Calabrian | Spain (Murcia) | Blanus sp. (34128) | |
| Middle Pleistocene | Spain (Castellon) | Blanus cinereus (34932) | |
| Middle Pleistocene | Spain (Castilla-Leon) | Blanus cinereus (34925) | |
| Middle Pleistocene | Spain (Granada) | Blanus cinereus (34985) | |
| Middle Pleistocene | Spain (Malaga) | Blanus cinereus (195564) | |
| Late/Upper Pleistocene | Spain (Alicante) | Blanus cinereus (199861 219152) | |
| Late/Upper Pleistocene | USA (Texas) | Amphisbaena sp. (85142) | |
| Holocene | Brazil | Amphisbaena ridleyi (195071) |