Biology:Ramphotyphlops

Short description: Genus of snakes

Ramphotyphlops
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Typhlopidae
Genus:	Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843
Synonyms
Typhlina Wagler, 1830 Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843 Pseudotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843 Pilidion A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844 Typhlinalis Gray, 1845 Typhlira Jan, 1861

Common names: long-tailed blindsnakes, long-tailed blind snakes, worm snakes.

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.

Description and ecology

Growing 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

Species	Taxon author *	Subsp.**	Common name	Geographic range
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.

Further reading

• Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Ramphotyphlops, new genus, p. 24). (in Latin).

External links

• Ramphotyphlops at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 August 2007.
• Ramphotyphlops at Lamington National Park. Accessed 29 August 2007.

Wikidata ☰ Q2558839 entry