Slender glass lizard

Slender glass lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Anguidae
Genus: Ophisaurus
Species:
O. attenuatus
Binomial name
Ophisaurus attenuatus
Baird in Cope, 1880
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Ophisaurus ventralis attenuatus
    Baird in Cope, 1880

The slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) is a legless lizard in the glass lizard subfamily (Anguinae).[4] The species is endemic to the United States. Two subspecies are recognized. The lizard was originally believed to be a subspecies of the eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis). Their name comes from their easily broken tail which they can break off themselves without ever being touched. It is difficult to find a specimen with an undamaged tail. The lizard eats a variety of insects and small animals, including smaller lizards. Snakes and other animals are known to prey on the species. Humans have a part in destroying their environment and killing their food supply with insecticides. The lizard is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though it is vulnerable in Iowa and endangered in Wisconsin. The streamlined, legless species is often confused with snakes. Glass Lizards, however, differ from snakes as they possess a moveable eyelid, which is absent in snakes. Another way to distinguish glass lizards from snakes is the presence of an external ear opening, which are absent in snakes.

  1. ^ Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Ophisaurus attenuatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63716A12709295. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63716A12709295.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Baird SF (1880). In: Cope ED (1880). "On the Zoölogical Position of Texas". Bulletin of the United States National Museum (17): 1–51. (Ophisaurus ventralis attenuatus, new subspecies, p. 18).
  3. ^ Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Anguidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Ophisaurus attenuatus, p. 282).
  4. ^ Lavin, Brian, R; Girman, Derek, J (2019). "Phylogenetic relationships and divergence dating in the Glass Lizards (Anguinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 133: 129–140. Bibcode:2019MolPE.133..128L. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.12.022. hdl:10211.3/198486. PMID 30584918. S2CID 58560490.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)