Typhlopidae | |
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European blind snake (Xerotyphlops vermicularis) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Infraorder: | Scolecophidia |
Superfamily: | Typhlopoidea |
Family: | Typhlopidae Merrem, 1820 |
Synonyms | |
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The Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes. [2] They are found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and all mainland Australia and various islands. [3] 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. [4] The tail ends with a horn-like scale. Most of these species are oviparous. Currently, 18 genera are recognized containing over 200 species. [2] [5]
The Typhlopidae are thought to have originated on Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous, along with their sister group, the Xenotyphlopidae. The common ancestor of both families is thought to have diverged from the Gerrhopilidae earlier in the Cretaceous, when Insular India broke away from Madagascar. Afterwards, the Typhlopidae are thought to have dispersed out of Madagascar (leaving behind a single basal genus, Madatyphlops ) into mainland Africa and then Eurasia, in contrast to the Xenotyphlopidae which remained restricted to Madagascar. From these regions, the Typhlopidae went on to colonize the rest of the world, with African typhlopids rafting across to Atlantic to South America during the Paleocene, then colonizing the Caribbean during the Oligocene, while Asian typhlopids colonized Australia from Southeast Asia or Indonesia later in the Oligocene. [6] [7]
Possible Typhlopid skin has been identified in Dominican amber. [8]
They are found in most tropical and many subtropical regions all over the world, particularly in Africa, Asia, islands in the Pacific, tropical America, and southeastern Europe. [1]
Genus [2] | Taxon author [2] | Species [2] | Common name | Geographic range [1] |
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Acutotyphlops | Wallach, 1995 | 5 | Eastern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands | |
Afrotyphlops | Broadley & Wallach, 2009 [9] | 29 | sub-Saharan Africa | |
Amerotyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 19 | Mexico through South America | |
Anilios | Gray, 1845 | 48 | Australia and New Guinea. | |
Antillotyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 12 | Caribbean islands | |
Argyrophis | Gray, 1845 | 12 | Asia | |
Cubatyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 12 | Caribbean islands | |
Cyclotyphlops | Bosch & Ineich, 1994 | 1 | Indonesia: Selatan Province, southern Sulawesi | |
Grypotyphlops | W. Peters, 1881 [10] | 1 | peninsular India | |
Indotyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 23 | Asia | |
Letheobia | Cope, 1869 [11] | 37 | Africa and the Middle East | |
Madatyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 15 | Madagascar, the Comoro Islands, Mauritius | |
Malayotyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 12 | the Philippines and Indonesia | |
Ramphotyphlops | Fitzinger, 1843 | 22 | long-tailed blind snakes [2] | southern and southeast Asia, as well as many islands in the southern Pacific Ocean |
Rhinotyphlops | Fitzinger, 1843 | 7 | Africa | |
Sundatyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 1 | Indonesia and East Timor | |
Typhlops T | Oppel, 1811 | 20 | the West Indies | |
Xerotyphlops | Hedges, Marion, Lipp, Marin & Vidal, 2014 | 6 | Palearctic | |
Xenotyphlops , formerly classified in the Typhlopidae, is now classed in the Xenotyphlopidae.
Amerotyphlops brongersmianus, known commonly as Brongersma's worm snake or the South American striped blindsnake, is a species of harmless blind snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Indotyphlops braminus, commonly known as the brahminy blind snake and other names, is a non-venomous blind snake species found mostly in Africa and Asia, but has been introduced in many other parts of the world. They are completely fossorial reptiles, with habits and appearance similar to earthworms, for which they are often mistaken, although close examination reveals tiny scales and eyes rather than the annular segments characteristic of true earthworms. The species is parthenogenetic and all known specimens have been female. The specific name is a Latinized form of the word Brahmin. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Grypotyphlops acutus, also known as the beaked worm snake, beaked blind snake, or beak-nosed worm snake, is a harmless blind snake species endemic to peninsular India. It is the only species in the genus Grypotyphlops. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Argyrophis oatesii, also known commonly as the Andaman Island worm snake or Oates's blind snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to the Andaman Islands. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Xenotyphlops is a genus of snakes, the only genus of the family Xenotyphlopidae, comprising two species found only in Madagascar. These snakes are also known as the Malagasy blind snake.
Xenotyphlops grandidieri is a species of blind snake in the family Xenotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
The Scolecophidia, commonly known as blind snakes or thread snakes, are an infraorder of snakes. They range in length from 10 to 100 centimetres. All are fossorial. Five families and 39 genera are recognized. The Scolecophidia infraorder is most likely paraphyletic.
Letheobia is a genus of blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae.
Anilios broomi, also known commonly as Broom's blind snake, the faint-striped blind snake, and the striate blind snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Anilios endoterus is commonly known as the interior blind snake. It is one of 42 species of snake in the genus Anilios (Ramphotyphlops) from the Typhlopidae family living in Australia. These snakes appear to be blind, having vestigial eyes that are extremely sensitive to light. It is a cryptic burrowing snake that lives in tunnels underground, living mainly on a diet of ants. They are found in arid and semi-arid desert regions of central Australia and are considered endangered in New South Wales (NSW).
The Kimberley deep-soil blind snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
The buff-snouted blind snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Anilios silvia, also known commonly as the great sandy blind snake or Sylvia's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to northeastern Australia.
The Angolan giant blind snake, also known as the anomalous beaked blind snake, is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to Angola. Its classification was changed from Rhinotyphlops to Megatyphlops when Rhinotyphlops was found to be polyphyletic. In 2014 Megatyphlops was changed to Afrotyphlops.
Rhinotyphlops scorteccii, commonly known as Scortecci's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Somalia.
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.
Madatyphlops domerguei is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.
Argyrophis klemmeri, also known as Klemmer's blind snake or the Kuala Lumpur worm snake, is a species of Asian 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.
The Gerrhopilidae are a family of blindsnakes that contains at least 16 species in the genus Gerrhopilus, and possibly others as well. These blindsnakes are found in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.