Ramphotyphlops is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes of the family Typhlopidae. Member species of the genus are native to southern Asia and southeast Asia, as well as many islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. They occur in a wide variety of habitats. Currently, 22 species are recognized as being valid.[2]
| Ramphotyphlops | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
- Common names: long-tailed blindsnakes, long-tailed blind snakes, worm snakes.[2]
Description and ecology
editGrowing to 50–750 mm (2–30 in) in length, snakes of the genus Ramphotyphlops occur in a variety of colors from light beige, to red, to blackish brown. They are often difficult to identify properly without the aid of optical magnification. Their heads are conical and tapered into their bodies.
These snakes can be found in ant and termite nests, as well as under fallen leaves and in holes in logs. They are believed to feed on earthworms, as well as the larvae and eggs of ants and termites. They are thought to be oviparous, although this has only been observed in a few species.
Species
edit| Species[2] | Taxon author *[2] | Subsp.**[2] | Common name | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. acuticauda | (W. Peters, 1877) | 0 | Palau Island blind snake | Palau, Micronesia |
| R. adocetus | Wynn, Reynolds, Buden, Falanruw & Lynch, 2012 | 0 | Caroline Islands, Micronesia | |
| R. angusticeps | (W. Peters, 1877) | 0 | Arboreal blind snake | Solomon Islands |
| R. becki | (Tanner, 1948) | 0 | Beck's blind snake | Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands |
| R. bipartitus | (Sauvage, 1879) | 0 | Southern New Guinea blind snake | Tidore, Maluku Islands |
| R. conradi | (Peters, 1875) | 0 | Conrad's worm snake | Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| R. cumingii | (Gray, 1845) | 0 | Cuming's blind snake | Philippines |
| R. depressus | (W. Peters, 1880) | 0 | Melanesia blind snake | sw Pacific: Maluku; New Guinea; Bismarcks; Solomons; Fiji |
| R. exocoeti | (Boulenger, 1887) | 0 | Christmas Island blind snake | Christmas Island (Australia) |
| R. flaviventer | (W. Peters, 1864) | 0 | Yellow-bellied blind snake | Maluku; New Guinea; Fiji |
| R. hatmaliyeb | Wynn, Reynolds, Buden, Falanruw, & Lynch, 2012 | 0 | Caroline Islands, Micronesia | |
| R. lineatus | (Schlegel, 1839) | 0 | Striped blind snake, striped worm snake, lined blind snake | Singapore |
| R. lorenzi | (F. Werner, 1909) | 0 | Lorenz's blind snake | Borneo |
| R. mansuetus | (Barbour, 1921) | 0 | Small-headed blind snake | Solomon Islands |
| R. marxi | (Wallach, 1993) | 0 | Marx's worm snake | Philippines |
| R.mollyozakiae | (Wallach, 2020) | 0 | Molly Ozaki’s blind snake | Thailand |
| R. multilineatusT | (Schlegel, 1839) | 0 | Hook-nosed blind snake | Kai Islands and Salawati, Indonesia |
| R. olivaceus | (Gray, 1845) | 0 | Olive blind snake | Borneo; Philippines; Sulawesi; Maluku; Solomon Islands |
| R. similis | (Brongersma, 1934) | 0 | Manukwari blind snake | New Guinea |
| R. suluensis | Taylor, 1918 | 0 | Sulu Archipelago, Philippines | |
| R. supranasalis | (Brongersma, 1934) | 0 | Salawati blind snake | Salawati Island, Indonesia |
| R. willeyi | (Boulenger, 1900) | 0 | Loyalty Islands blind snake | Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia |
*) A taxon author in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Ramphotyphlops.
**) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c 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).
- ^ a b c d e "Ramphotyphlops". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
Further reading
edit- Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Ramphotyphlops, new genus, p. 24). (in Latin).
External links
edit
- Ramphotyphlops at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 August 2007.
- Ramphotyphlops at Lamington National Park. Accessed 29 August 2007.