Joshua's blind snake (Trilepida joshuai) is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to Colombia.[3][4][2]

Joshua's blind snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Leptotyphlopidae
Genus: Trilepida
Species:
T. joshuai
Binomial name
Trilepida joshuai
(Dunn, 1944)
Synonyms[2]
  • Leptotyphlops joshuai
    Dunn, 1944
  • Tricheilostoma joshuai
    Adalsteinsson et al., 2009
  • Trilepida joshuai
    Hedges, 2011

Etymology

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The specific name, joshuai, is a reference to Joshua, victor at the Battle of Jericho, in reference to the type locality, Jericó, Antioquia, Colombia.[5]

Geographic range

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T. joshuai is found in the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Caldas, and Valle del Cauca.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of T. joshuai is forest, at altitudes of 1,600–2,200 m (5,200–7,200 ft), but it has also been found in urban areas.[1]

Description

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T. joshuai is black dorsally, and white ventrally. The total length (including tail) of the holotype is 27 cm (11 in).[6]

Behavior

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T. joshuai is terrestrial and fossorial.[1]

Diet

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T. joshuai preys upon insect larvae and termites.[1]

Reproduction

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T. joshuai is oviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Arredondo, J.C.; Wallach, V. (2015). "Trilepida joshuai ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T178428A44954468. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T178428A44954468.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Trilepida joshuai at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
  3. ^ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  4. ^ "Leptotyphlops ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  5. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Leptotyphlops joshuai, p. 136).
  6. ^ Dunn ER (1944).

Further reading

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  • Adalsteinsson SA, Branch WR, Trape S, Vitt LJ, Hedges SB (2009). "Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata)". Zootaxa 2244: 1–50. (Tricheilostoma joshuai, new combination).
  • Dunn ER (1944). "A Review of the Colombian Snakes of the Families Typhlopidae and Leptotyphlopidae". Caldasia 3 (11): 47–55. (Leptotyphlops joshuai, new species, pp. 53–54, Figures 9–10).
  • Hedges SB (2011). "The type species of the threadsnake genus Tricheilostoma Jan revisited (Squamata: Leptotyphlopidae)". Zootaxa 3027: 63–64. (Trilepida joshuai, new combination, p. 63).
  • Rojas-Morales JA (2012). "Snakes of an urban-rural landscape in the central Andes of Colombia: species composition, distribution, and natural history". Phyllomedusa 11 (2): 135–154.