Afrotyphlops blanfordii

Afrotyphlops blanfordii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Typhlopidae
Genus: Afrotyphlops
Species:
A. blanfordii
Binomial name
Afrotyphlops blanfordii
(Boulenger, 1899)
Synonyms[2]
  • Typhlops blanfordii
    Boulenger, 1899
  • Afrotyphlops blanfordii
    — Broadley & Wallach, 2009

Afrotyphlops blanfordii, commonly known as Blanford's blind-snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae.[1][2][3] The species is native to the Horn of Africa.

Geographic range

Afrotyphlops blanfordii is found in Eritrea and Ethiopia, at elevations of 980–2,450 m (3,220–8,040 ft) above sea level.[1][2]

Etymology

The specific name, blanfordii, is in honour of English naturalist William Thomas Blanford.[2][4]

Taxonomy

Afrotyphlops blanfordii is similar to Afrotyphlops lineolatus, and the two may even be conspecific.[1]

Description

Afrotyphlops blanfordii may attain a total length (including a short tail) of 32 cm (13 in). Dorsally, the body is olive-grey, with the basal half of each dorsal scale blackish. Ventrally, it has a narrow whitish strip running down the middle.[5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of A. blanfordii are grassland, shrubland, and forest.[1]

Behaviour

Afrotyphlops blanfordii is fossorial and terrestrial.[1]

Reproduction

Afrotyphlops blanfordii is oviparous.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Spawls, S. (2021). "Afrotyphlops blanfordii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T178513A42505520. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T178513A42505520.en.
  2. ^ a b c d e Afrotyphlops blanfordii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Afrotyphlops blanfordii (Boulenger, 1889)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  4. ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Typhlops blanfordii, p. 27).
  5. ^ Boulenger (1893).

Further reading

  • Boulenger GA (1889). "Descriptions of new Typhlopidæ in the British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 4: 360–363. (Typhlops blanfordii, new species, p. 363).
  • Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I. Containing the Families Typhlopidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Typhlops blanfordii, p. 39 + Plate II, figures 5a–5c).
  • Broadley DG, Wallach V (2009). "A review of the eastern and southern African blind-snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), excluding Letheobia Cope, with the description of two new genera and a new species". Zootaxa 2255: 1–100. (Afrotyphlops blanfordii, new combination, p. 34)
  • Largen MJ, Spawls S (2010). Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 694 pp. ISBN 978-3899734669.


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