Leptotyphlops
Encyclopedia
- Common names: slender blind snakes, threadsnakes.
Leptotyphlops is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of nonvenomous blind snake
Leptotyphlopidae
The Leptotyphlopidae are a family of snakes found in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. All are fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites...
s found throughout North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and southwestern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Currently, 86 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are recognized.
Description
Most species look much like shiny earthworms. They are pinkPink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
or brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
, and their scales give them a segmented appearance. Other species are black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
in color, but have the same general body structure. Their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness
Vestigial structure
Vestigiality describes homologous characters of organisms that have seemingly lost all or most of their original function in a species through evolution. These may take various forms such as anatomical structures, behaviors and biochemical pathways. Some of these disappear early in embryonic...
, and hidden behind a protective head scale. The species which are called thread snakes are so named because of their very narrow, long bodies.
Geographic range
Found in the AmericasAmericas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and southwestern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. In the Americas from the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south through most of Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
as far as Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Also found on San Salvador Island
San Salvador Island
San Salvador Island, also known as Watlings Island, is an island and district of the Bahamas. Until 1986, when the National Geographic Society suggested Samana Cay, it was widely believed that during his first expedition to the New World, San Salvador Island was the first land sighted and visited...
in the Bahamas, in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. Also found on Socotra Island
Socotra
Socotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
.
Behavior
All blind snakes are burrowing snakes, spending most of their time deep in loose soil, typically only emerging when it rains and they get flooded out.Species
| Species | Taxon author | Subsp.* | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. affinis Leptotyphlops affinis Leptotyphlops affinis, or the Venezuela blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1884) |
0 | Venezuela blind snake | |
| L. albifrons Leptotyphlops albifrons Leptotyphlops albifrons, or Wagler's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826... , 1824) |
0 | Wagler's blind snake | |
| L. albipunctus Leptotyphlops albipunctus Leptotyphlops albipunctus, or the Tucuman blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
0 | Tucuman blind snake | |
| L. albiventer Leptotyphlops albiventer Leptotyphlops albiventer is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Hallermann & Rödel, 1995 | 0 | ||
| L. anthracinus Leptotyphlops anthracinus Leptotyphlops anthracinus, or Bailey's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Bailey, 1946 | 0 | Bailey's blind snake | |
| L. asbolepis Leptotyphlops asbolepis Leptotyphlops asbolepis, or the Martin Garcia thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Thomas, McDiarmid & Thompson, 1985 | 0 | Martin Garcia thread snake | |
| L. australis Leptotyphlops australis Leptotyphlops australis, or the Freiberg's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Freiberg & Orejas-Miranda, 1968 | 0 | Freiberg's blind snake | |
| L. bicolor Leptotyphlops bicolor Leptotyphlops bicolor, or the two-colored blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1860) |
0 | Two-colored blind snake | |
| L. bilineatus | (Schlegel Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history... , 1839) |
0 | Two-lined blind snake | |
| L. blanfordii | (Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1890) |
0 | Sindh thread snake | |
| L. borapeliotes Leptotyphlops borapeliotes Leptotyphlops borapeliotes is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Vanzolini Paulo Vanzolini Paulo Emilio Vanzolini is a Brazilian scientist and music composer. He is best known by his samba compositions, including the famous 'Ronda' and 'Boca da Noite', and for his scientific works in herpetology. He is considered one of the greatest samba composers from São Paulo... , 1996 |
0 | ||
| L. borrichianus Leptotyphlops borrichianus Leptotyphlops borrichianus, or Degerbøl's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Degerbøl, 1923) | 0 | Degerbøl's blind snake | |
| L. boulengeri Leptotyphlops boulengeri Leptotyphlops boulengeri, or the Manda flesh-pink blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boettger Oskar Boettger Oskar Boettger was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger .... , 1913) |
0 | Manda flesh-pink blind snake | |
| L. brasiliensis Leptotyphlops brasiliensis Leptotyphlops brasiliensis, or the Brazilian blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Laurent, 1949 | 0 | Brazilian blind snake | |
| L. bressoni Leptotyphlops bressoni Leptotyphlops bressoni, or the Michoacán slender blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor was an American herpetologist from Kansas.He was born in Maysville, Missouri and studied at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, graduating with a B.A. in 1912. Subsequently, he went to the Philippines, where at first he held a teacher's post in a village in central... , 1939 |
0 | Michoacán slender blind snake | |
| L. brevicaudus Leptotyphlops brevicaudus Leptotyphlops brevicaudus is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs... , 1887) |
0 | ||
| L. brevissimus Leptotyphlops brevissimus Leptotyphlops brevissimus, or the Caqueta blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Shreve, 1964 | 0 | Caqueta blind snake | |
| L. broadleyi Leptotyphlops broadleyi Leptotyphlops broadleyi is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Wallach & Hahn, 1997 | 0 | ||
| L. breuili | Hedges, 2008 | 0 | St. Lucia Threadsnake | |
| L. burii Leptotyphlops burii Leptotyphlops burii, or the Arabian blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1905) |
0 | Arabian blind snake | |
| L. cairi Leptotyphlops cairi Leptotyphlops cairi, or the Cairo blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(A.M.C. Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology... & Bibron Gabriel Bibron Gabriel Bibron was a French zoologist. He was born in Paris. Son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. He classified a number of reptile species with André Marie Constant... , 1844) |
0 | Cairo blind snake | |
| L. calypso Leptotyphlops calypso Leptotyphlops calypso, or the Samana thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Thomas, McDiarmid & Thompson, 1985 | 0 | Samana thread snake | |
| L. carlae Leptotyphlops carlae Barbados Threadsnake is a species of blind threadsnake. It is the smallest snake species currently known to exist. This member of the Leptotyphlopidae family is found on the Caribbean island of Barbados.... |
Hedges, 2008 | 0 | Barbados Threadsnake | |
| L. collaris Leptotyphlops collaris Leptotyphlops collaris, or the Collared blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Hoogmoed, 1977 | 0 | Collared blind snake | |
| L. columbi Leptotyphlops columbi Leptotyphlops columbi, or the San Salvador blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Klauber Laurence Monroe Klauber Laurence M. Klauber , was an American herpetologist, and was considered to be the foremost authority on rattlesnakes... , 1939 |
0 | San Salvador blind snake | |
| L. conjunctus Leptotyphlops conjunctus Leptotyphlops conjunctus, or the Cape thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
3 | Cape thread snake | |
| L. cupinensis Leptotyphlops cupinensis Leptotyphlops cupinensis, or the Mato Grosso blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Bailey & Carvalho, 1946 | 0 | Mato Grosso blind snake | |
| L. debilis Leptotyphlops debilis Leptotyphlops debilis, or the West African blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Chabanaud, 1918) | 0 | West African blind snake | |
| L. diaplocius Leptotyphlops diaplocius Leptotyphlops diaplocius, or the Common Peru blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda, 1969 | 0 | Common Peru blind snake | |
| L. dimidiatus Leptotyphlops dimidiatus Leptotyphlops dimidiatus, or the dainty blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
0 | Dainty blind snake | |
| L. dissimilis Leptotyphlops dissimilis Leptotyphlops dissimilis, or the Sudan blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs... , 1886) |
0 | Sudan blind snake | |
| L. distanti Leptotyphlops distanti Leptotyphlops distanti is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1892) |
0 | Distant's blind snake | |
| L. drewesi Leptotyphlops drewesi Leptotyphlops drewesi, or the Drewes's worm snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Wallach, 1996 | 0 | Drewes's worm snake | |
| L. dugandi Leptotyphlops dugandi Leptotyphlops dugandi, or the Dugand's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn was an American herpetologist noted for his work in Panama and for studies of salamanders in the Eastern United States. He attended Haverford College as an undergraduate and received his PhD from Harvard University. After receiving his PhD taught at Smith College... , 1944 |
0 | Dugand's blind snake | |
| L. dulcis | (Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C... & Girard Charles Frédéric Girard Charles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard... , 1853) |
2 | Texas blind snake | |
| L. emini Leptotyphlops emini Leptotyphlops emini, or Emin Pasha's worm snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1890) |
0 | Emin Pasha's worm snake | |
| L. filiformis Leptotyphlops filiformis Leptotyphlops filiformis, or the Socotra Island blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1899) |
0 | Socotra Island blind snake | |
| L. fitzingeri Leptotyphlops fitzingeri Leptotyphlops fitzingeri is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family. The specific name, fitzingeri, honors Leopold Fitzinger, an Austrian herpetologist.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
0 | ||
| L. gestri Leptotyphlops gestri Leptotyphlops gestri is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1906) |
0 | ||
| L. goudotii Leptotyphlops goudotii Leptotyphlops goudotii, or the Black blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(A.M.C. Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology... & Bibron Gabriel Bibron Gabriel Bibron was a French zoologist. He was born in Paris. Son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. He classified a number of reptile species with André Marie Constant... , 1844) |
3 | Black blind snake | |
| L. gracilior Leptotyphlops gracilior Leptotyphlops gracilior, or the Slender thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1910) |
0 | Slender thread snake | |
| L. guayaquilensis Leptotyphlops guayaquilensis Leptotyphlops guayaquilensis, or the Guayaquila blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda & Peters, 1970 | 0 | Guayaquila blind snake | |
| L. hamulirostris Leptotyphlops hamulirostris Leptotyphlops hamulirostris is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Nikolsky, 1907) | 0 | ||
| L. humilis | (Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C... & Girard Charles Frédéric Girard Charles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard... , 1853) |
8 | Western thread snake | |
| L. joshuai Leptotyphlops joshuai Leptotyphlops joshuai, or the Joshua's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn was an American herpetologist noted for his work in Panama and for studies of salamanders in the Eastern United States. He attended Haverford College as an undergraduate and received his PhD from Harvard University. After receiving his PhD taught at Smith College... , 1944 |
0 | Joshua's blind snake | |
| L. koppesi Leptotyphlops koppesi Leptotyphlops koppesi, or the Amaral's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Amaral, 1955 | 0 | Amaral's blind snake | |
| L. labialis Leptotyphlops labialis Leptotyphlops labialis, or the Damara thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Sternfeld, 1908) | 0 | Damara thread snake | |
| L. leptepileptus Leptotyphlops leptepileptus Leptotyphlops leptepileptus, or the Haitian border thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Thomas, McDiarmid & Thompson, 1985 | 0 | Haitian border thread snake | |
| L. longicaudus Leptotyphlops longicaudus Leptotyphlops longicaudus, or the Long-tailed thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1854) |
0 | Long-tailed thread snake | |
| L. macrolepis Leptotyphlops macrolepis Leptotyphlops macrolepis, or the Big-scaled blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1857) |
0 | Big-scaled blind snake | |
| L. macrops Leptotyphlops macrops Leptotyphlops macrops, or the Large-eyed worm snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Broadley & Wallach, 1996 | 0 | Large-eyed worm snake | |
| L. macrorhynchus Leptotyphlops macrorhynchus Leptotyphlops macrorhynchus is a harmless blind snake species found in northern Africa and southwestern Asia. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Geographic range:Found in isolated populations across northern Africa and in southwestern Asia... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1860) |
0 | Longnosed worm snake | |
| L. macrurus Leptotyphlops macrurus Leptotyphlops macrurus, or Boulenger's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1903) |
0 | Boulenger's blind snake | |
| L. maximus Leptotyphlops maximus Leptotyphlops maximus, or the Giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Loveridge, 1932 | 0 | Giant blind snake | |
| L. melanotermus Leptotyphlops melanotermus Leptotyphlops melanotermus, or the Latin American blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Cope Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen... , 1862) |
0 | Latin American blind snake | |
| L. melanurus Leptotyphlops melanurus Leptotyphlops melanurus, or the Dark blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled... & Walker, 1943 |
0 | Dark blind snake | |
| L. munoai Leptotyphlops munoai Leptotyphlops munaoi is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda, 1961 | 0 | ||
| L. narirostris Leptotyphlops narirostris Leptotyphlops narirostris is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1867) |
1 | ||
| L. nasalis Leptotyphlops nasalis Leptotyphlops nasalis, or Taylor's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor was an American herpetologist from Kansas.He was born in Maysville, Missouri and studied at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, graduating with a B.A. in 1912. Subsequently, he went to the Philippines, where at first he held a teacher's post in a village in central... , 1940 |
0 | Taylor's blind snake | |
| L. natatrix Leptotyphlops natatrix Leptotyphlops natatrix, or the Gambia blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Andersson, 1937) | 0 | Gambia blind snake | |
| L. nicefori Leptotyphlops nicefori Leptotyphlops nicefori, or the Santander blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn was an American herpetologist noted for his work in Panama and for studies of salamanders in the Eastern United States. He attended Haverford College as an undergraduate and received his PhD from Harvard University. After receiving his PhD taught at Smith College... , 1946 |
0 | Santander blind snake | |
| L. nigricans Leptotyphlops nigricans Leptotyphlops nigricans, or the Black thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... T |
(Schlegel Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history... , 1839) |
0 | Black thread snake | |
| L. nursii Leptotyphlops nursii Leptotyphlops nursii, or Nurse's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Anderson, 1896) | 0 | Nurse's blind snake | |
| L. occidentalis Leptotyphlops occidentalis Leptotyphlops occidentalis, or the Western thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
FitzSimons, 1962 | 0 | Western thread snake | |
| L. perreti Leptotyphlops perreti Leptotyphlops perreti is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Wilhelm Roux-Estève, 1979 | 0 | ||
| L. peruvianus Leptotyphlops peruvianus Leptotyphlops peruvianus, or the Peru blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda, 1969 | 0 | Peru blind snake | |
| L. pyrites Leptotyphlops pyrites Leptotyphlops pyrites, or Thomas's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Thomas, 1965 | 0 | Thomas's blind snake | |
| L. reticulatus Leptotyphlops reticulatus Leptotyphlops reticulatus, or the Reticulate blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1906) |
0 | Reticulate blind snake | |
| L. rostratus Leptotyphlops rostratus Leptotyphlops rostratus, or Bocage's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs... , 1886) |
0 | Bocage's blind snake | |
| L. rubrolineatus Leptotyphlops rubrolineatus Leptotyphlops rubrolineatus, or the Red-lined blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Werner Franz Werner Franz Werner was an Austrian zoologist and explorer. Specializing as a herpetologist and entomologist, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms.... , 1901) |
0 | Red-lined blind snake | |
| L. rufidorsus Leptotyphlops rufidorsus Leptotyphlops rufidorsus, or the Rose blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor Edward Harrison Taylor was an American herpetologist from Kansas.He was born in Maysville, Missouri and studied at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, graduating with a B.A. in 1912. Subsequently, he went to the Philippines, where at first he held a teacher's post in a village in central... , 1940 |
0 | Rose blind snake | |
| L. salgueiroi Leptotyphlops salgueiroi Leptotyphlops salgueiroi, or the Espírito Santo blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Amaral, 1955 | 0 | Espírito Santo blind snake | |
| L. scutifrons Leptotyphlops scutifrons Leptotyphlops scutifrons, or Peter's thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1854) |
0 | Peter's thread snake | |
| L. septemstriatus Leptotyphlops septemstriatus Leptotyphlops septemstriatus, or the Seven-striped blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Schneider Johann Gottlob Schneider Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony... , 1801) |
0 | Seven-striped blind snake | |
| L. signatus Leptotyphlops signatus Leptotyphlops signatus, or the South American blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
0 | South American blind snake | |
| L. striatulus Leptotyphlops striatulus Leptotyphlops striatulus is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Smith & Laufe, 1945 | 0 | ||
| L. subcrotillus Leptotyphlops subcrotillus Leptotyphlops subcrotillus is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Klauber Laurence Monroe Klauber Laurence M. Klauber , was an American herpetologist, and was considered to be the foremost authority on rattlesnakes... , 1939 |
0 | Klauber's blind snake | |
| L. sundewalli Leptotyphlops sundewalli Leptotyphlops sundewalli, or Sundevall's worm snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family. The epithet, sundewalli, is in honor of Carl Jakob Sundevall, a Swedish zoologist.... |
(Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1861) |
0 | Sundevalls worm snake | |
| L. teaguei Leptotyphlops teaguei Leptotyphlops teaguei, or the Northern blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda, 1964 | 0 | Northern blind snake | |
| L. telloi Leptotyphlops telloi Leptotyphlops telloi, or Tello's thread snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Broadley & Watson, 1976 | 0 | Tello's thread snake | |
| L. tesselatus Leptotyphlops tesselatus Leptotyphlops tesselatus, or Tschudi's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi was a Swiss naturalist and explorer.Tschudi was born in Glarus, and studied natural sciences and medicine at the universities of Neuchâtel, Leiden and Paris. In 1838 he travelled to Peru, where he remained for five years exploring and collecting plants in the Andes... , 1845) |
0 | Tschudi's blind snake | |
| L. tricolor Leptotyphlops tricolor Leptotyphlops tricolor, or the Three-colored blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda & Zug, 1974 | 0 | Three-colored blind snake | |
| L. undecimstriatus Leptotyphlops undecimstriatus Leptotyphlops undecimstriatus, or the Eleven-striped blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Schlegel Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history... , 1839) |
0 | Eleven-striped blind snake | |
| L. unguirostris Leptotyphlops unguirostris Leptotyphlops unguirostris, or the Southern blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1902) |
0 | Southern blind snake | |
| L. variabilis Leptotyphlops variabilis Leptotyphlops variabilis is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
(Scortecci, 1928) | 0 | ||
| L. vellardi Leptotyphlops vellardi Leptotyphlops vellardi is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Laurent, 1984 | 0 | ||
| L. weyrauchi Leptotyphlops weyrauchi Leptotyphlops weyrauchi, or the Argentine blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Orejas-Miranda, 1964 | 0 | Argentine blind snake | |
| L. wilsoni Leptotyphlops wilsoni Leptotyphlops wilsoni, or Wilson's blind snake, is a species of snake in the Leptotyphlopidae family.... |
Hahn, 1978 | 0 | Wilson's blind snake | |
- ) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
.
Taxonomy
Two new species, L. breuili from Saint LuciaSaint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
and L. carlae
Leptotyphlops carlae
Barbados Threadsnake is a species of blind threadsnake. It is the smallest snake species currently known to exist. This member of the Leptotyphlopidae family is found on the Caribbean island of Barbados....
, from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, was described by Hedges (2008). At only 10 cm (4 in), L. carlae is believed to be slightly smaller than L. bilineatus, and thus to be the world's smallest snake.