Home - Taxonomy - Geography - Biodiversity - Literature - Purchase RepFocus Recent updates Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk). Latest update: December 31st, 2022. Taxonomy of the family Amphisbaenidae Bibliography of the genus Dalophia Biodiversity of the family Amphisbaenidae Genus Dalophia Blunt-tailed Worm Lizards Kurzschwanz-Doppelschleichen Stumphalede Ormeøgler 1865 Dalophia Gray (type species: Dalophia welwitschii Gray 1865) 1947 Tomuropeltis Laurent (type species: Monopeltis giganteus Peracca 1903; syn. Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976) Contents: 11 species, of which 6 (54.5%) are endemic. Endemism: 0% 100% Other common names: Tomuropeltis: Horn-tailed Worm Lizards Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Congo-Kinshasa, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa (Limpopo, North West Province, Northern Cape), Zambia, Zimbabwe. Dalophia angolensis East Angolan Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard Ostangolische Doppelschleiche Østangolansk Stumphalet Ormeøgle 1976 Dalophia angolensis Gans Distribution: Angola, Zambia. Dalophia colobura Sesheke Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard Sesheke-Doppelschleiche Sesheke-ormeøgle 1910 Monopeltis colobura Boulenger Monopeltis granti colobura FitzSimons 1943 Dalophia colobura Gans 2005 Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym or subspecies of pistillum (e.g., Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976). Revalidated by Gans (2005), although without discussion. Distribution: Namibia, Zambia. Dalophia ellenbergeri Barotse Worm Lizard, Lealui Worm Lizard Barotse-Doppelschleiche Barotse-ormeøgle 1920 Monopeltis ellenbergeri Angel Dalophia ellenbergeri Loveridge 1941 Tomuropeltis ellenbergeri Laurent 1947 Dalophia ellenbergeri Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976 Distribution: Angola, Zambia. Dalophia gigantea Kwango Worm Lizard Kwango-Doppelschleiche Kwango-ormeøgle 1903 Monopeltis giganteus Peracca Dalophia gigantea Loveridge 1941 Tomuropeltis gigantea Laurent 1947 1922 Monopeltis truncata Witte (Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976) Distribution: Congo-Kinshasa. Dalophia granti Beira Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard Beira-Doppelschleiche Beira-ormeøgle 1907 Monopeltis granti Boulenger Dalophia granti Gans 2005 Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym or subspecies of pistillum (e.g., Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976). Revalidated by Gans (2005), although without discussion. Distribution: Mozambique. Dalophia jallae Zambian Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard, Northern Rhodesian Worm Lizard Sambianische Doppelschleiche Zambiansk Stumphalet Ormeøgle 1910 Monopeltis jallae Peracca Dalophia jallae Gans 2005 Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym or subspecies of pistillum (e.g., Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976). Revalidated by Gans (2005), although without discussion. Distribution: Zambia. Dalophia longicauda Long-tailed Worm Lizard Langschwanz-Doppelschleiche Langhalet Ormeøgle 1915 Monopeltis colobura (longicauda, new species?) Werner Dalophia longicauda Loveridge 1941 Tomuropeltis longicauda Laurent 1947 Distribution: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Dalophia luluae Sandoa Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard, Sandoa Worm Lizard Sandoa-Doppelschleiche Sandoa-ormeøgle 1942 Monopeltis luluae Witte & Laurent Tomuropeltis luluae Laurent 1947 Tomuropeltis colobura luluae Laurent 1964 Dalophia luluae Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976 Distribution: Congo-Kinshasa. Dalophia pistillum Zambezi Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard, Horn-tailed Worm Lizard Zambezi-Doppelschleiche Stumphalet Zambezi-ormeøgle 1895 Monopeltis pistillum Boettger Dalophia pistillum Loveridge 1941 Tomuropeltis pistillum Laurent 1947 1907 Monopeltis granti Boulenger (Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976) 1934 Monopeltis mossambica Cott (Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976) 1937 Monopeltis granti kuanyamarum Monard (Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976) Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa (Limpopo, North West Province, Northern Cape), Zambia, Zimbabwe. Dalophia transvaalensis Limpopo Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard Limpopo-Doppelschleiche Stumphalet Limpopo-ormeøgle 1933 Monopeltis granti transvaalensis Fitzsimons Dalophia transvaalensis Gans 2005 Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym or subspecies of pistillum (e.g., Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976). Revalidated by Gans (2005), although without discussion, however, he also (in error, presumably) listed the taxon as a synonym of pistillum in the same work. Not mentioned by Bates, Branch, Bauer, Burger, Marais, Alexander & Villiers [eds.] (2014), who presumably considered transvaalensis a synonym of pistillum. Distribution: South Africa (Limpopo). Dalophia welwitschii North Angolan Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard Nordangolische Doppelschleiche Nordangolansk Stumphalet Ormeøgle 1865 Dalophia welwitschii Gray Monopeltis welwitschii Boulenger 1885 Dalophia welwitschii Broadley, Gans & Visser 1976 Remarks: Gans (2005) placed this species in the genus Monopeltis. This would make Dalophia a synonym of Monopeltis, since welwitschii is the type species of Dalophia, however, Gans did not make any comments regarding this. Marques, Ceríaco, Blackburn & Bauer (2018) retained the species in Monopeltis, but without formally synonymizing Dalophia with Monopeltis or reassigning all remaining Dalophia species to Tomuropeltis, the next available generic name for these species. Until further evidence regarding the generic status of welwitschii is presented, the species is retained in Dalophia herein, thereby also retaining the names Dalophia and Monopeltis as it has now been general consensus for more than four decades. Distribution: Angola.