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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.