| Rhinotyphlops boylei | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Rhinotyphlops |
| Species: | R. boylei |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinotyphlops boylei (FitzSimons, 1932) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Rhinotyphlops boylei, commonly known as Boyle's beaked blind snake, [3] is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. [4] [5] The species is native to southern Africa. [3]
The specific name, boylei, is in honor of "A. M. Boyle, Esq.", who collected the holotype. [2]
Indigenous to southern Africa, R. boylei is found from Damaraland in Namibia to western Botswana. [3]
Dorsally, R. boylei is olive-brown, the scales light-edged. Ventrally, it is pale yellow.
Adults may attain a snout-vent length (SVL) of 22 cm (8+1⁄2 in).
The scales are arranged in 26-28 rows around the body. There are more than 300 dorsal scales in the vertebral row. [3]
The preferred natural habitat of R. boylei is sandveld, [3] at altitudes of 1,000–1,400 m (3,300–4,600 ft). [1]
The Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes. They are found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and all mainland Australia and various islands. The rostral scale overhangs the mouth to form a shovel-like burrowing structure. They live underground in burrows, and since they have no use for vision, their eyes are mostly vestigial. They have light-detecting black eye spots, and teeth occur in the upper jaw. Typhlopids do not have dislocatable lower jaw articulations restricting them to prey smaller than their oral aperture. The tail ends with a horn-like scale. Most of these species are oviparous. Currently, 18 genera are recognized containing over 200 species.
Letheobia simonii is a blind snake species endemic to the Middle East. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Rhinotyphlops is a genus of blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae. The genus is found in Africa, the Middle East, and India. Some species formerly assigned to the genus Rhinotyphlops have been moved to the genera Afrotyphlops and Letheobia.
Leptotyphlops distanti, also known as Distant's threadsnake or Distant's worm snake, is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species, Leptotyphlops distanti, is endemic to Southern Africa.
The Gabon beaked snake is a species of blind snake in the family Typhlopidae. It is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is known from Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ghana. However, the identity of different populations is not fully clear.
Cross's beaked snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. R. crossii is endemic to West Africa.
Letheobia graueri, also known as the Lake Tanganyika gracile blind snake, Grauer's gracile blind snake, Sternfeld's beaked snake, Grauer's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Middle and East Africa.
Rhinotyphlops lalandei, known commonly as Delalande's beaked blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Letheobia newtoni is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae.
The Zanzibar beaked snake is a species of blind snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to Africa.
The Léopoldville beaked snake is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to Africa.
Rhinotyphlops schinzi, commonly known as Schinz's beaked blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Rhinotyphlops scorteccii, commonly known as Scortecci's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Somalia.
Stejneger's beaked snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to Middle Africa.
Rhinotyphlops unitaeniatus, commonly known as the yellow-striped blind snake or the Kenya beaked snake, is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to Africa.
Letheobia wittei, also known commonly as De Witte's gracile blind snake or Witte's beaked snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Africa.
Bibron's blind snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
The Bahamian slender blind snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae.
Afrotyphlops schlegelii, commonly known as Schlegel's beaked blind snake or Schlegel's giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to eastern and southern Africa, and bears the distinction of being the world's largest typhlopid. It is harmless to humans and lives exclusively on a diet of termites.
Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia.
