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Leptotyphlops
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Leptotyphlops

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Leptotyphlops is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes, in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to and found throughout Africa. Eleven species have been moved to the genus Trilepida, and other species have been moved to the genera Epacrophis, Epictia, Mitophis, Myriopholis, Namibiana, Rena, Siagonodon, Tetracheilostoma, and Tricheilostoma.

Species

GENUS

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassSquamata
  4. FamilyLeptotyphlopidae
Observations recorded3,666

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
423
With media
8
Family
Leptotyphlopidae
Collections
ECOSUR, YPM, CIB-UAEH, CUMV, UAZ, MSB
Recorded in
Mexico, Kenya, Tanzania, United States, Suriname, Argentina, Ghana, Panama

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Description
  • Behavior
  • Diet
  • Species
  • References
  • External links

Leptotyphlops is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes, in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to and found throughout Africa. Eleven species have been moved to the genus Trilepida, and other species have been moved to the genera Epacrophis, Epictia, Mitophis, Myriopholis, Namibiana, Rena, Siagonodon, Tetracheilostoma, and Tricheilostoma.

==Description== Most species of Leptotyphlops look much like shiny earthworms. They are generally black, grey, or blackish-brown and their scales give them a segmented appearance. Their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness, and hidden behind a protective head scale. The species which are called thread snakes are so named because of their very narrow, long bodies.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Leptotyphlops” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (9)