Italian Slow Worm

About the Italian Slow Worm

Anguis veronensis, commonly known as the Italian slow worm, is a European lizard species in the family Anguidae. The slow worm is distributed throughout Italy and in southeastern part of France. A. veronensis got its first scientific description in 1818, when it was described by Italian naturalist Ciro Polinni, and named after the Italian city Verona, where specimens were found. The synonymous species name Anguis cinerea (cinereus) is derived from the Latin word cinereus meaning ash-grey, even though typical gray colour is a common feature of the whole genus Anguis, especially the similar common slow worm, Anguis fragilis.

In the past, slow worms from the Italian Peninsula were not distinguished from other European slow worms; they were usually perceived as conspecifics of Anguis fragilis. A relatively long independent evolutionary history and distinct identity of both morphological and genetic features led to the species resurrection in 2013 under the synonymous scientific name Anguis cinerea. Following the rules of International Code of Zoological Nomenclature about priority naming the slow worm was renamed to the oldest available name for the same taxon... Wikipedia →