Leptotyphlopidae

Trilepida macrolepis

The Slender Blind Snakes ( Leptotyphlopidae ), sometimes called worm snakes, are a family of snakes ( Serpentes ). It usually is extremely small worm-like snakes 10-20 cm body length, which live underground. There are about 115 known species.

Features

The Slender blind snakes reach body lengths of 10-20 centimeters, the largest species Leptotyphlops macrolepis from Venezuela is also 30 inches long. They are yellowish brown and covered with small, overlapping scales. The tail is short and carries a terminal spine in many species to be anchored in the ground. The head is blunt and not separated from the body, the eyes often sharply formed and covered by slightly larger scales. The body is much narrower than that of the blind snakes ( Typhlopidae ), they also have an immovable and edentulous maxilla and skeletal remains of the pelvis and hind leg bones.

Known types are both about 15 centimeters long ways Texas Slim Blind Snake ( Rena dulcis ) and Mexican Slender Blind Snake ( Rena humilis ), which often occur in the dry, sandy areas of the southern United States and Mexico.

The Slender blind snakes include the smallest so far proven snake in the world, the Tetracheilostoma occurring in Barbados carlae with a length of about ten centimeters and a diameter of 2.5 millimeters.

Inside systematics

Within the Slim typhlopids two subfamilies are distinguished, occurring in North, Central, South America and Africa Epictinae, and the Leptotyphlopinae, which are common in Africa and the Middle East.

  • Subfamily Epictinae Hedges, Adalsteinsson & Branch, 2009 Epictia Gray, 1845
  • Mitophis Hedges, Adalsteinsson & Branch, 2009
  • Rena Baird & Girard, 1853
  • Rhinoleptus Orejas - Miranda, Roux- Esteve & Guibe, 1970
  • Siagonodon Peters, 1881
  • Tetracheilostoma Jan, 1861
  • Tricheilostoma Jan, 1860
  • Trilepida Hedges, 2011
  • Epacrophis Hedges, Adalsteinsson & Branch, 2009
  • Leptotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843
  • Myriopholis Hedges, Adalsteinsson & Branch, 2009
  • Namibiana Hedges, Adalsteinsson & Branch, 2009
Squamata Leonhard Hess Stejneger Zootaxa
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