Trogonophidae
| Trogonophids | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Amphisbaenia |
| Family: | Trogonophidae Gray, 1865 |
| Genera | |
|
4, See Text. | |
Trogonophidae (Palearctic worm lizards or desert ringed lizards) is a small family of amphisbaenians, containing five species in four genera. Trogonophids are found in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and western Iran. They are limbless, carnivorous, lizard-like reptiles highly modified for burrowing. They construct their tunnels with an oscillating motion that forces soil into the walls. Unlike other amphisbaenians, their teeth are fused to their jaws, rather than lying in a groove.[1]
Genera
- Agamodon Peters, 1882 (two species)
- Diplometopon Nikolskii, 1907 (monotypic)
- Pachycalamus Günther, 1881 (monotypic)
- Trogonophis Kaup, 1830 (monotypic)