The Worm-like Lizards 



'A pair of forelimbs. . Eucbirotidce 



Distribution. Lower California 

 and Mexico. 



Body worm-like. 

 Integument in ring-like -j 



segments. Limbless ^ Amphisbanida 



Distribution. Southern North 

 America; South America; 

 southeastern Europe; 

 Asia Minor and Africa. 



The Two-footed Worm Lizards Family Eucbirotidce: The 

 members of this family are very strange. They are worm-like, 

 practically blind and subterraneous in habits, but possess one 

 pair of well-developed limbs. These limbs are on the anterior 

 portion of the body and spring from what might be termed the 

 throat of the creature. The well-developed toes, bearing sharp 

 claws, tend to make this pair of limbs appear quite incongruous, in 

 the case of such a degenerate, elongated reptile. At the same 

 time, the strange characteristic renders these lizards at once 

 distinguishable. 



Three genera of the Eucbirotidce are known Eucbirotes, 

 of Lower California, Bipes and Hemicbirotes: both of the latter 

 occur in Mexico. Cope has concisely separated these genera, as 

 follows : 



Toes five; all with claws Eucbirotes. 



Toes five; one smaller and clawless Bipes. 



Toes three; all with claws Hemicbirotes. 



Each of these genera includes but a single species. 



Like the members of the succeeding family of lowly reptiles, 

 the Two-footed Lizards show the surface of the body to be divided 

 into numerous rings, like the segments of an earthworm; these 

 rings are in turn divided into minute, scale-like squares. There 

 is a furrow on each side of the body, which has led some author- 

 ities to separate the segments into the "abdominal series" and 

 the "dorsal series," which arrangement is valuable in detailed, 

 technical description relating to superficial variations. 



Some writers have included this family within the Am- 

 pbisbcenidce but the possession of the forelimbs is too strong a 

 character to admit their presence in a family where the large 

 number of species are without vestiges of limbs. 



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