ALAMILLO, H; Univ. of Missouri-Rolla: Tail autotomy in six species of Amphisbaena (Amphisbaena, Reptilia) from the Antilles

Relative to other groups of reptiles, little is known about the biology of the amphisbaenids, presumably because they are difficult to collect and encountered infrequently. Although many published works of C. Gans and others document some aspects of the biology of amphisbaenids, the caudal region has been studied only superficially. This is surprising because tail autotomy structures in the amphisbaenids seem to be different from other squamates. Herein, I describe the morphology of the fracture plane involved in caudal autotomy in six amphisbaenids (Amphibaena caeca, A. fenestrata, A. gonavensis, A. manni, A. schmidti, A. xera). I used cleared and double stained, radiographed, and serially sectioned specimens to describe the relationships between caudal vertebrae and associated muscles that are responsible for tail autotomy. Interspecific variation in the morphology of the plane is discussed.