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Issue: Vol. 4168 No. 3: 16 Sept. 2016
Type: Correspondence
Published: 2016-09-16
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4168.3.9
Page range: 573–576
Abstract views: 72
PDF downloaded: 1

Morphological similarities between Amphisbaena mitchelli Procter, 1923 and A. miringoera Vanzolini, 1971 (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae): phylogenetic relatedness or morphological convergence?

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Diversidade Biológica e Conservação nos Trópicos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, 57072-970, Maceió, AL, Brazil. Setor de Zoologia, Museu de História Natural, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Aristeu de Andrade, 57051-090, Maceió, AL, Brasil
Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Setor de Zoologia, Museu de História Natural, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Aristeu de Andrade, 57051-090, Maceió, AL, Brasil Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, 57072-970, Maceió, AL, Brazil
Reptilia Squamata Amphisbaenidae

Abstract

To date, 22 species of amphisbaenids have been recorded at Brazilian Amazon (Ribeiro et al. 2008), six of them are small and have two pre-cloacal pores (Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires 1991; Teixeira Jr. et al. 2014). Most of these species have narrow distributions, and its biology and phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood (Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires 1991). Amphisbaena mitchelli Procter, 1923 and A. miringoera Vanzolini, 1971 share several morphological similarities that could reflect phylogenetic relatedness (Vanzolini 1971). Both have two pre-cloacal pores and a similar pattern of head scutelation, but whereas the first has 193–220 and 26–29 body and tail annuli, respectively, the latter has 250–264 and 22–24 (Vanzolini 1971).

 

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