UC SCIENTIST SEEKS LEGLESS LIZARD SPECIMENS IN LAX DUNES

             (Los Angeles, California – August 2, 2010)  Dr. Theodore J. Papenfuss, a research scientist from the UC Berkeley Museum of Zoology visited LAX recently to gather specimens of the California legless lizard. 

            The lizards, which are located in the northern El Segundo/LAX Dunes area, are identified by the State of California as a species of special concern.  The Dunes contain virtually the only remaining example of this community in mainland Southern California.  

            Assisting the professor during his visit were Los Angeles World Airports Environmental Services Division staff members Karin Christie, Peggy Nguyen, Nebu John and intern Ulises Alvarenga.  

            The California Department of Fish & Game had issued Dr. Papenfuss a Scientific Collection Permit to collect the California lizard for research and preservation as part of the museum’s herpetological collection, considered a rich resource for research among zoologists and biologists.

            Dr. Papenfuss explained that the legless lizard isn’t just called a snake because, unlike snakes, this lizard has what is called a vestigial pelvic girdle, a feature characteristic of most lizards, but unused in this particular species because it has no legs.

            Dr. Papenfuss was collecting the specimens, along with others from local wildlands, to demonstrate the difference between at least three genetically-different legless lizards found in different areas of Southern California.

            He said his ultimate goal is “to establish their major genetic lineages in order to provide a foundation for ongoing studies of their bio-geography and taxonomy, as well as to aid in conserving previously unrecognized evolutionary lineages.”

            The California legless lizard is adapted to burrowing and digging and lives in loose soil and sand where legs are not so necessary.  Knowing this about the species, Dr. Papenfuss was able to capture two specimens in less than an hour.

            The Dunes at LAX contain virtually the only remaining example of this community in mainland Southern California.  They contain a disturbed scrub community consisting of patches of native vegetation in a sea of invasive non-native species.  Some of this disturbed landscape may be restored in an upcoming project that involves removing some of the remaining landscape in this area.

            LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a department of the City of Los Angeles.