Anomochilus leonardi

Anomochilus leonardi
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Anomochilidae
Genus:	Anomochilus
Species:	A. leonardi
Binomial name
	Anomochilus leonardi; M. A. Smith, 1940
	Anomochilus leonardi range in Malaysia

Last updated November 24, 2023

Anomochilus leonardi, also known by the common names Leonard's pipe snake,^[2]Leonard's burrowing snake,^[3] and Malayan giant blind snake,^[4] is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, where it inhabits primary and mature secondary dipterocarp forests at altitudes of 250–500 m (820–1,640 ft). Described by the herpetologist Malcolm Arthur Smith in 1940, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It has a snout–vent length of up to 390 mm (15 in), and has a black underside with a glossy black to purplish brown upperside. It also has two rows of elliptical yellow spots along the back, a yellow bar across the snout, and a large red patch on the subcaudal scales. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by the absence of pale stripes along its sides, an unpaired parietofrontal scale, and the presence of the pale patches along its back.

The species is nocturnal and fossorial (adapted to living underground). It most likely feeds on earthworms, snakes, and legless lizards. Reproduction in the snake has not been observed, but other species in its genus lay eggs, unusually for their superfamily, where most species give birth to live young. The IUCN Red List currently classifies the species as being of least concern due to its presence in protected areas and the fact that its range is likely larger than currently known.

Taxonomy and systematics

Anomochilus leonardi was described by the British herpetologist Malcolm Arthur Smith in 1940 based on two female specimens collected near the town of Merapoh in Pahang, Malaysia.^[5] The specific name leonardi is in honor of G. R. Leonard, collector of the holotype.^[5]

A. leonardi is one of three species in the dwarf pipesnake genus Anomochilus , which is the only genus in the family Anomochilidae. Anomochilidae is one of three families in the superfamily Uropeltoidea, along with Uropeltidae and Cylindrophiidae.^[2] However, genetic studies indicate that Cylindrophiidae is paraphyletic (not containing all the descendants of a common ancestor) with respect to Anomochilidae, and some authorities merge the latter family into the former.^[6]^[7]

Description

Like other species in its genus, A. leonardi is cylindrical, with a small, rounded head and short, conical tail.^[2]^[4] It has a snout–vent length of up to 390 mm (15 in).^[8] The upper side of the body is glossy black to purplish-brown, while the underside is black.^[4] The back has two rows of elliptical yellow spots along the sides of vertebral scales, and there is a yellow bar across the snout and a large red patch on the subcaudal scales.^[2]^[5] The head is continuous with the neck and, despite the fossorial (adapted to living underground) nature of the species, the snout has no reinforcements to aid in burrowing.^[2] The dorsum is smooth, with slightly larger scales than the underside.^[4]

A. leonardi has 17 or 19 rows of scales (excluding ventral scales) in the middle of the body. It has 214–252 midventral scales (scales down the middle of the underside) and 6–7 subcaudal scales (scales between the cloaca and tip of the tail).^[4] The species can be differentiated from other snakes outside of its genus by its small head and eyes, the large scales on the forehead, a single nasal scale bordering the second supralabial scale, the absence of the loreal and preocular scales, a lone postocular scale, and the lack of a mental groove.^[8]

The species is the only Anomochilus on the Malay Peninsula, but co-occurs with both of its congeners on Borneo.^[4] It differs from A. weberi in lacking pale stripes along its sides and having an unpaired parietofrontal scale on the forehead.^[8] It can be distinguished from A. monticola by the presence of pale patches bordering the vertebral scales and the number of midventral scales (monticola has 258–261, compared to 214–252 for leonardi).^[4]

Distribution and habitat

A. leonardi is currently only known from Sundaland, where it occurs on Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. In Peninsular Malaysia, it is found near Merapoh in Pahang and Ulu Gombak and Kepong in Selangor; on Borneo, it is known from Sepilok in Sabah. The actual range of the species is probably larger than currently thought. It inhabits primary and mature secondary dipterocarp forests in plains and hills, usually at altitudes of around 250 m (820 ft), although some specimens have been collected from as high as 500 m (1,600 ft). It is mostly known from riparian areas near streams and rivers, and the species, like others in its genus, is fossorial.^[1]^[4]

Ecology and conservation

A. leonardi is nocturnal and fossorial.^[4] The ecology of the species is poorly studied, and little is known about its diet and reproductive habits.^[4] The absence of the mental groove suggests that the snake feeds on elongate invertebrates like earthworms and perhaps on small, slim vertebrates like snakes and legless lizards.^[2] Reproduction in the species has not been studied, but other Anomochilus are known to lay eggs, unlike the rest of the Uropeltoidea, which give birth to live young.^[2]^[4]

The species is currently classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as it is known to inhabit nature reserves and its range is likely larger than currently known. It is known from the protected areas of Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve and Taman Negara National Park.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Anomochilus is a genus of snakes, it is the only genus in the monogeneric family Anomochilidae and has three species classified within it. Members of the genus are known as anomochilids, or by the common names dwarf pipesnake, lesser pipesnake, and giant blind snake. Initially created as Anomalochilus in 1890 for the species A. weberi, the genus was renamed in 1901 because the original name was already in use for a genus of beetles. Dwarf pipesnakes are small and cylindrical, with short, conical tails and small, rounded heads that are continuous with the neck. They have blackish to purplish-brown uppersides and dark brown or black undersides, with orange-red bands around the tail and a variety of pale markings on the snout and belly. All three species of dwarf pipesnake are endemic to Sundaland, where they are found on the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

The Uropeltidae, also commonly known as shield-tail snakes, shield-tailed snakes or earth snakes, are a family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Greek words ura ('tail') and pelte ('shield'), indicating the presence of the large keratinous shield at the tip of the tail. Seven or eight genera are recognized, depending on whether Teretrurus rhodogaster is treated in its own genus or as part of Brachyophidium. The family comprises over 50 species. These snakes are not well known in terms of their diversity, biology, and natural history.

The Cylindrophiidae are a monotypic family of secretive, semifossorial, non-venomous snakes containing the genus Cylindrophis found in southeastern Asia. These are burrowing snakes and most have a banded pattern on the belly. Currently, 13 species are recognized, all with no subspecies. Common names include Asian pipe snakes or Asian cylinder snakes.

Platyplectrurus trilineatus, commonly known as the tri-striped shield-tail snake or the lined thorntail snake, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to the Western Ghats of Southern India. Like most other shieldtail snakes, it is presumed to be a nocturnal, fossorial snake inhabiting evergreen forests. A very rare snake, about which nothing is known in terms of live colouration and natural history.

The Karnataka burrowing snake is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to India.

Rhinophis oxyrhynchus, also known as Schneider's earth snake or Schneider's shieldtail, is a species of uropeltid snake endemic to Sri Lanka.

<i>Rhinophis sanguineus</i> Species of snake

Rhinophis sanguineus, commonly known as the salty earth snake, is a species of uropeltid snake found in the Western Ghats of India.

Uropeltis dindigalensis, commonly known as the Dindigul uropeltis and the Sirumalai Hills earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to Sirumalai and surrounding hill ranges of the southern Eastern Ghats, in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state in South India.

Uropeltis ellioti, commonly known as Elliot's earth snake and Elliot's shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

Uropeltis liura, commonly known as the Ashambu shieldtail and Günther's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

<i>Uropeltis macrolepis</i> Species of snake

Uropeltis macrolepis, commonly known as the Bombay earth snake, the Bombay shieldtail, and the large-scaled shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to southern India. There are two recognized subspecies.

Uropeltis myhendrae, commonly known as Boulenger's earth snake, the Mahendragiri earth snake, and the Myhendra Mountain uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

Uropeltis petersi, commonly known as Peter's earth snake, Peters' shieldtail, and the shieldtail earth snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India.

<i>Uropeltis pulneyensis</i> Species of snake

Uropeltis pulneyensis, commonly known as the Indian earth snake and the Palni shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

The Alethinophidia are an infraorder of snakes that includes all snakes other than blind snakes and thread snakes. Snakes have long been grouped into families within Alethinophidia based on their morphology, especially that of their teeth. More modern phylogenetic hypotheses using genetic data support the recognition of 19 extant families, although the taxonomy of alethinophidian snakes has long been debated, and ultimately the decision whether to assign a particular clade to a particular Linnaean rank is arbitrary.

Trimeresurus sumatranus is a venomous pitviper species found in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Arboreal, its coloration is pale green with a red tail. Common names include Sumatran pitviper, Sumatran tree viper, and Sumatran pit viper.

Trimeresurus sabahi, commonly known as the Sabah pit viper or Sabah bamboo pitviper, is a venomous pitviper species. If defined narrowly, it is endemic to the island of Borneo. If defined more broadly, it consists of five subspecies found in Southeast Asia.

Anomochilus weberi, commonly known as Weber's dwarf pipesnake or the Sumatran giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where it inhabits montane and lowland dipterocarp forest at altitudes of 300–1,000 m (980–3,280 ft). Described by the herpetologist Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude in 1890, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It is the smallest species in its genus, with a total length of 230 mm (9.1 in). It is mostly black in color, with pale stripes along its sides and pale blotches bordering the vertebral scales, as well as a variety of other pale spots and markings on the tail and head. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by its small size, the presence of a pale stripe along its sides, and the presence of pale blotches along its back.

Anomochilus monticola, the Kinabalu giant blind snake, mountain pipe snake, or Mount Kinabalu dwarf pipesnake, is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to Kinabalu Park in northern Borneo, where it inhabits montane and submontane rainforest at altitudes of 1,450–1,513 m (4,757–4,964 ft). Described by the herpetologist Indraneil Das and colleagues in 2008, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It is the largest species in its genus, with a total length of 521 mm (20.5 in). It is mostly iridescent blue-black in color, with a deep brown belly, large pale horn-colored blotches along the underside, a chrome orange band around the tail, a pale creamy-yellow bar across the snout, and pale horn-colored speckles along its sides. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by its large size, the absence of a stripe along its sides, and the lack of pale blotches on its back.

Uropeltis shorttii, also known commonly as the Shevaroy Hills earth snake and Shortt's shieldtail snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats of India. This species was first described as Silybura shorttii by British naturalist Richard Henry Beddome in 1863. It is found only in the Shevaroy Hills of Salem district in Tamil Nadu state in South India. For a long time, this species was misclassified into Uropeltis ceylanica, a snake endemic to the Western Ghats, till a recent taxonomic study proved it to be a distinct species with a very narrow geographic range. It is a burrowing snake, presumed to be nocturnal, feeding on soft-bodied worms. It becomes active during the rains. U. shorttii has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019, and is listed as "Critically Endangered" under criteria B1ab(iii).

References

1 2 3 Grismer, L. (2012). "Anomochilus leonardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T1555A727213. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T1555A727213.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O'Shea, Mark (2023). Snakes of the World: A Guide to Every Family. Princeton: Princeton University Press. pp. 91–93. ISBN 9780691240671. OCLC 1356003917.
↑ Anomochilus leonardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 04 August 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Das, Indraneil (2010). Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-East Asia. London: New Holland Publishers. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4729-2057-7. OCLC 455823617.
1 2 3 Smith, Malcolm A. (1940). "XLVII.— A new Snake of the Genus Anomochilus from the, Malay Peninsula". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 11 (6) (35): 447–449. doi:10.1080/03745481.1940.9723701. ISSN 0374-5481.
↑ Gower, D. J.; Vidal, N.; Spinks, J. N.; McCarthy, C. J. (2005). "The phylogenetic position of Anomochilidae (Reptilia: Serpentes): first evidence from DNA sequences". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 43 (4): 315–320. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2005.00315.x.
↑ Li, Peng; Wiens, John J. (2022). "What drives diversification? Range expansion tops climate, life history, habitat and size in lizards and snakes". Journal of Biogeography. 49 (2): 237–247. doi:10.1111/jbi.14304. S2CID 245849898.
1 2 3 Das, Indraneil; Lakim, Maklarin; Lim, Kelvin K. P.; Hui, Tan Heok (2008). "New species of Anomochilus from Borneo (Squamata: Anomochilidae)" (PDF). Journal of Herpetology. 42 (3): 584–591. doi:10.1670/07-154.1. S2CID 85684485.