Amphisbaenia

Amphisbaenians Temporal range: Late Cretaceous – Present 84–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Blanus cinereus, Spain
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Superfamily:	Lacertoidea
Clade:	Amphisbaenia Gray, 1844
Families
Amphisbaenidae Bipedidae Blanidae Cadeidae Rhineuridae Trogonophidae
Black: range of Amphisbaenia

Amphisbaenia /æmfɪsˈbiːniə/ (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards,^[1] comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As many species have a pink body and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms. While the genus Bipes retains forelimbs, all other genera are limbless. Phylogenetic studies suggest that they are nested within Lacertoidea, closely related to the lizard family Lacertidae.^[1] Amphisbaenians are widely distributed, occurring in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Western Asia and the Caribbean. Most species are less than 6 inches (15 cm) long.