Kalahari worm lizard


The Kalahari worm lizard '', also known commonly as the Kalahari spade-snouted worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is indigenous to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, leonhardi, is in honor of German ethnographer Leonhard Schultze-Jena.

Geographic range

M. leonhardi is found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. leonhardi is shallow sand.

Description

M. leonhardi is purplish pink dorsally, and pinkish ventrally. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length of. The maximum recorded SVL is.

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of M. leonhardi is unknown.