Skip to main content

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa.

A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip.

A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, forests and containing floristic elements. Areas of savanna vegetation with rocky outcrops, typically woody at higher elevations.

The distribution pattern is similar to that of five other Amphisbaena species restricted to the highland areas of the Espinhaço Mountains in Bahia (A. bahiana, A. longinqua, A. metallurga, A. mongoyo, A. uroxena) of which four are phylogenetically closely related, but do not show a close phylogenetic relationship with A. amethysta.

The other three species do not show a clear relationship with the species from the Espinhaço Mountains but also occur at the same elevation and vegetation type (A. kiriri, A. acangaoba and A. ignatiana).

The researchers sequenced a total of 4806 base pairs and the new species is a group of A. caetitensis with 92% bootstrap. The clade composed by A. amethysta and A. caetitensis was found to be a group of A. angustifrons, A. darwini, A. kingi, A. leeseri and A. munoai with a low bootstrap (21%). The genetic distance between A. amethysta and A. caetitensis is 6.1%.

The specific epithet refers to the mineral amethyst which is a type of quartz and also the name of the type site “Brejinho das Ametistas”, a district located in the south of the municipality of Caetité, Bahia state. This area has been a center of amethyst mining since the beginning of the 20th century.

Mining activities cause several irreversible environmental changes, including habitat loss due to vegetation clearing, relocation and excavation during the opening and operation of new mines. These actions have a direct impact on terrestrial and fossil species such as amphibians.

Original research

Ribeiro S, Santos Jr AP, Martins IG, Oliveira ECS, Graboski R, Barbosa Da Silveira T, Benício MHM, Vaz-Silva W (2024). A new four-pored Amphisbaena Linnaeus, 1758 (Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae) from the north of Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil. ZooKeys 1213: 1-27, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1213.122265

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...
Read more

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...
Read more

Gunung Sewu Geopark

Gunung Sewu Geopark or Gunung Sewu UNESCO Global Geopark or Pegunungan Sewu (Thousand mountains) are elongated mountains in Kulonprogo Regency, Bantul Regency and Gunung Kidul Regency in Yogyakarta Province, Wonogiri Regency in Central Java Province, to Tulungagung Regency in East Java Province on Java Island, Indonesia. The uniqueness of the ecosystem encourages the International Union of Speleology to propose the Sewu Mountains Karst Area into one of the world's natural heritages in 1993. On September 19 2015, UNESCO announced Gunung Sewu as the Global Geopark Network. Sewu Mountain is rich in biodiversity, archeology, history and cultural aspects. The Pacitan rock culture represents Paleolithic to Neolithic artifacts in Southeast Asia. About 1,802 square kilometers of the area contain traces of prehistoric settlements. Some prehistoric people lived in caves, while others lived in open spaces. Characteristics Gunung Sewu is a classic tropical karst landscape and is domin...
Read more