Dalophia pistillum (Boettger, 1895)

Pietersen, Darren W., Pietersen, Errol W. & Conradie, Werner, 2017, Preliminary herpetological survey of Ngonye Falls and surrounding regions in south-western Zambia, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 148) 11 (1), pp. 24-43 : 30

Dalophia pistillum (Boettger, 1895)

Blunt-tailed Worm Lizard

Material: PEM R 22925

A single individual was collected on the eastern bank of the Zambezi River below Ngonye Falls. This species is distinguished from other Dalophia in Zambia by the absence of a constricted caudal autotomy annulus (present in D. angolensis and D. ellenbergeri ), lower numbers of caudal annuli (27 versus 33–42 in D. longicauda ), and absence of a “herring-bone” pattern on the dorsal caudal annuli (present in D. longicauda ; Broadley et al. 1976). It is fairly widespread in southern and western Zambia, although records are sparse due to its predominantly fossorial habits ( Broadley et al. 1976).