NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Coast Worm Lizard
Cynisca leucura (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The coast worm lizard (Cynisca leucura) is a worm lizard species in the family Amphisbaenidae. It is found in western Africa. The round, yet narrow, shape of their head is conserved amongst the species and develops as they grow. They all burrow head first and since they do not express sexual dimorphism, all sexes possess a similar appearance and shape.
Wikipedia contributors, Coast worm lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:10:19.120113+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cynisca leucura (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)
- Name authority
- (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)
- Common name
- Coast Worm Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Amphisbaenidae
- Genus
- Cynisca
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAmphisbaenia
- familyAmphisbaenidae
- genusCynisca
- speciesCynisca leucura (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cynisca. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| French Congo Worm LizardCynisca bifrontalis (Boulenger, 1906) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sierra Leone Worm LizardCynisca degrysi (Loveridge, 1941) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca gansi Dunger, 1968 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ghana Worm LizardCynisca kraussi (Peters, 1878) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Liberia Worm LizardCynisca liberiensis (Boulenger, 1879) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca manei Trape, 2014 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cassine River Worm LizardCynisca oligopholis (Boulenger, 1906) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca rouxae Hahn, 1979 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca senegalensis Gans, 1987 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca muelleri (Strauch, 1881) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ugly Worm LizardCynisca feae (Boulenger, 1906) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cynisca chirioi Trape, Mané & Baldé, 2014 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Amphisbaena macrura Duméril & Bibron, 1839 Duméril & Bibron, 1839 | synonym |
| Amphisbaena petersii Boulenger, 1906 Boulenger, 1906 | synonym |
| Amphisbaena leucura Duméril & Bibron, 1839 Duméril & Bibron, 1839 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Cynisca&species=leucura Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:339HB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.