Mo Ganji: Hills Worm Lizard | Hügel-Wurmleguan | Aprasia parapulchella | No. 095/250 from work group 8/99

Hills Worm Lizard | Hügel-Wurmleguan | Aprasia parapulchella

Mo Ganji’s single line attends to the Hills worm lizard — a small, limbless burrowing reptile with a smooth, elongated body adapted to life beneath the soil — through a gesture of radical reduction. The continuous line offers only a faint indication of presence, enough to suggest a living being while remaining open to meanings beyond the category of “lizard.” By setting aside visible detail, the drawing allows essence to surface where form slips easily from view.

Aprasia parapulchella is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Endemic to southeastern Australia, the species inhabits native grasslands and open woodlands with intact soil structure and surface cover. Its distribution is highly fragmented, and populations are confined to small, isolated patches of suitable habitat.

The principal threats include habitat loss from urban expansion, agriculture and infrastructure development, as well as soil disturbance that destroys shelter and breeding sites. Because the species lives largely underground and depends on stable microhabitats, even subtle changes to land use can have significant impacts. Limited dispersal further restricts its ability to recolonize restored areas.

Ganji’s single line opens a space in which this hidden being can be encountered beyond visibility or familiarity. It invites attention to forms of life that persist beneath notice, gently reminding us that human concepts of importance often privilege what is seen — while the foundations of ecological continuity lie in lives that unfold quietly beneath the ground we continuously reshape.