Smallhead Worm Lizard

About the Smallhead Worm Lizard

Leposternon microcephalum, also known commonly as the smallhead worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae in the reptilian order Squamata. The species is endemic to South America. L. microcephalum is found in southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It occurs in the Itatiaia National Park between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais in Brazil.

Amphisbaenians have few predators due to their fossorial habits, powerful bite, and defensive tactics. However, some snakes have been found feeding on amphisbaenians including L. microcephalum. L. microcephalum is oviparous.

Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in The British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II.... Amphisbænidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Lepidosternon microcephalum, p. 462).

Cacciali P, Scott NJ, Ortíz ALA, Fitzgerald LA, Smith P (2016). "The Reptiles of Paraguay: Literature, Distribution, and an Annotated Taxonomic Checklist". Museum of Southwestern Biology, University... Wikipedia →