NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Bahia Worm Lizard
Leposternon polystegum (Duméril, 1851)
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 Bahia worm lizard (Leposternon polystegum) is a worm lizard species in the family Amphisbaenidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
This species demonstrates sexual dimorphism with the males having larger, longer bodies than the females.
Its diet generally consists of ants, earthworms, and termites.
Wikipedia contributors, Bahia worm lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:09:46.483344+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leposternon polystegum (Duméril, 1851)
- Name authority
- (Duméril, 1851)
- Common name
- Bahia Worm Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Amphisbaenidae
- Genus
- Leposternon
- 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
- genusLeposternon
- speciesLeposternon polystegum (Duméril, 1851)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leposternon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Leposternon cerradensis Ribeiro, Vaz-Silva & Santos Jr, 2008 | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Berthold's Worm LizardLeposternon infraorbitale (Berthold, 1859) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Shielded Worm LizardLeposternon scutigerum (Hemprich, 1820) | AmphisbaenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Wucherer's Worm LizardLeposternon wuchereri (Peters, 1879) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lepidosternon polystegum Duméril, 1851 Duméril, 1851 | synonym |
| Lepidosternon grayii Gray, 1865 Gray, 1865 | synonym |
| Leposternon polystegoides Schmidt, 1936 Schmidt, 1936 | 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=Leposternon&species=polystegum 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:88J3W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.