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Vanderyst Worm Lizard

Monopeltis vanderysti de Witte, 1922

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 Vanderyst worm lizard (Monopeltis vanderysti), also known commonly as Vanderyst's worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is native to Central Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

Wikipedia contributors, Vanderyst worm lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:34:09.604493+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Monopeltis vanderysti de Witte, 1922
Name authority
de Witte, 1922
Common name
Vanderyst Worm Lizard
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Amphisbaenidae
Genus
Monopeltis
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
  9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
  10. suborderAmphisbaenia
  11. familyAmphisbaenidae
  12. genusMonopeltis
  13. speciesMonopeltis vanderysti de Witte, 1922

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Monopeltis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Anchieta's Worm-LizardMonopeltis anchietae (Bocage, 1873)AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Cape Wedgesnouted Worm LizardMonopeltis capensis Smith, 1848AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
De Coster's Worm-LizardMonopeltis decosteri Boulenger, 1910AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Dusky Spade-snouted Worm LizardMonopeltis infuscata Broadley, 1997AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Gaboon Worm LizardMonopeltis jugularis Peters, 1880AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Kalahari Worm LizardMonopeltis leonhardi Werner, 1910AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Slender Spade-snouted Worm LizardMonopeltis sphenorhynchus (Peters, 1879)AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Carved Worm LizardMonopeltis scalper (Günther, 1876)AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Maurice’s Slender Worm LizardMonopeltis mauricei Parker, 1935AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Lualaba Worm LizardMonopeltis adercae de Witte, 1953AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Helmeted Worm LizardMonopeltis galeata (Hallowell, 1852)AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Western Congo Worm LizardMonopeltis guentheri Boulenger, 1885AmphisbaenidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 111 records assigned to Amphisbaenidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Monopeltis lujae Witte, 1922 Witte, 1922synonym
Monopeltis vanderysti closei Laurent, 1954 Laurent, 1954synonym
Monopeltis vanderysti vilhenai Laurent, 1954 Laurent, 1954synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

W/C/S Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Angola

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.

  1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Monopeltis&species=vanderysti 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:448JP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.