Indotyphlops braminus, commonly known as the brahminy blind snake[4] and other names, is a non-venomous blind snakespecies, found mostly in Africa and Asia, and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. It is a completely fossorial (i.e., burrowing) reptile, with habits and appearance similar to an earthworm, for which it is often mistaken and shares convergent evolution with, although close examination reveals tiny scales and eyes rather than the annular segments characteristic of a true earthworm. The species is parthenogenetic and all known specimens have been female.[5] The specific name is a Latinized form of the word Brahmin. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.[4]
Adults of I. braminus measure 2–4 inches (5.1–10.2cm) long, uncommonly to 6 inches (15cm), making it the smallest known snake species. The head and tail are superficially similar as the head and neck are indistinct. Unlike other snakes, the head scales resemble the body scales. The eyes are barely discernible as small dots under the head scales. The tip of the tail has a small, pointed spur. Along the body are fourteen rows of dorsal scales. Coloration ranges from charcoal gray, silver-gray, light yellow-beige, purplish, or infrequently albino, the ventral surface more pale. Coloration of the juvenile form is similar to that of the adult. Behavior ranges from lethargic in appropriate habitat to energetic, quickly seeking the cover of soil or leaf litter to avoid light.[6][7][8]
Indotyphlops braminus from Kerala, India
The tiny eyes are covered with translucentscales, rendering this snake almost entirely blind. The eyes cannot form images, but are still capable of registering light intensity.
Common names
I. braminus is variously known as the brahminy blind snake,[4] flowerpot snake, common blind snake, island blind snake, teliya snake, and Hawaiian blind snake. The moniker "flowerpot snake" derives from the snake's incidental introduction to various parts of the world through the plant trade. "Kurudi" is the common Malayalam term which refers to I. braminus. "Sirupaambu" is the common Tamil term which refers to I. braminus.
Distribution
Most likely originally native to Africa and Asia, I. braminus is an introduced species in many parts of the world, including Australia, the Americas, and Oceania.
In Europe, it has been found in Spain[12] (in the Canary Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria),[13] in Italy (on the island of Ischia),[14] and in Malta;[15] it is believed to have been introduced in soil imported with potted plants, and has been labeled potentially invasive to native fauna.
Habitat
Usually, the brahminy blind snake occurs in urban and agricultural areas.[6] This species of snake lives underground in ant and termite nests. It is also found under logs, moist leaves, stones and humus in wet forest, dry jungle, abandoned buildings, and even city gardens. The distribution and survival of this group of blind snakes directly reflect soil humidity and temperature.[10]
Feeding
The diet of I. braminus consists of the larvae, eggs, and pupae of ants and termites.[6]
Reproduction
I. braminus is parthenogenetic, and all specimens collected so far have been female. It lays eggs or may bear live young. Up to eight offspring are produced, all female and genetically identical.[6] They are triploid,[16][17][18] and it has been proposed that the species be transferred to a new genus as Virgotyphlops braminus because of its obligate parthenogenetic nature.[19][20]
Annandale N (1906). "Notes on the fauna of a desert tract in southern India. Part I. Batrachians and reptiles, with remarks on the reptiles of the desert region of the North-West Frontier". Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta1: 183–202.
Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Typhlops braminus, pp.16–17).
Daudin FM (1802). Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Reptiles. Tome septième [Volume 7]. Paris: F. Dufart. 436 pp.
Hedges SB, Marion AB, Lipp KM, Marin J, Vidal N (2014). "A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata)". Caribbean Herpetology (49): 1-61. (Indotyphlops braminus, new combination).
Jones GS, Thomas LA, Wong K (1995). "Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review26 (4):210-211.
Kelaart EF (1854). "Catalogue of reptiles collected in Ceylon". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Second Series13: 137–140.
Nussbaum RA (1980). "The brahminy blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) in the Seychelles Archipelago: Distribution, variation, and further evidence for parthenogenesis". Herpetologica36 (3): 215–221.
Oliver JA, Shaw CE (1953). "The amphibians and reptiles of the Hawaiian Islands". Zoologica, New York38 (5): 65–95.
Thomas LA (1997). "Geographic Distribution. Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review28 (2): 98.
Vijayakumar SP, David P (2006). "Taxonomy, Natural History, And Distribution Of The Snakes Of The Nicobar Islands (INDIA), Based On New Materials And With An Emphasis On Endemic Species". Russian Journal of Herpetology13 (1): 11–40.
Wall F (1919). "Notes on a collection of Snakes made in the Nilgiri Hills and the adjacent Wynaad". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society26: 552–584.
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