Rhinotyphlops lalandei
| Rhinotyphlops lalandei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Rhinotyphlops |
| Species: | R. lalandei |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Schlegel, 1839) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Delalande's beaked blind snake) is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to southern Africa.
Etymology
The specific name, lalandei, is in honor of French naturalist Pierre Antoine Delalande.[2]
Description
R. lalandei is a slender, pinkish-grey, blind snake, which has a pointed nose that it uses for burrowing.
Maximum snout-vent length (SVL) 35 cm (13 3⁄4 in). Scales arranged in 26-30 rows around the body. More than 300 dorsal scales in the vertebral row.[3]
Nostrils located below the sharp horizontal cutting edge of the snout. Diameter of body 35 to 50 times in the total length. Tail as broad as long, or broader than long, ending in a spine.[4]
Geographic range
It occurs throughout the eastern half of Southern Africa, as far south as Cape Town and with isolated populations in western parts such as Namibia.[5][6]
Habitat
It can be found in a variety of habitats including semidesert, savannah, coastal bush, and fynbos.[3]
Reproduction
This species is oviparous. The female lays a clutch of 2-4 eggs. The hatchlings are flesh-colored.[3]
References
- ↑ "Rhinotyphlops lalandei ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org
- ↑ 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. (Rhinotyphlops lalandei, p. 149).
- 1 2 3 Branch, Bill. 2004. Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Rhinotyphlops lalandei, p. 53 + Plate 39).
- ↑ 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 delalandii, p. 45).
- ↑ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 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).
- ↑ "Rhinotyphlops". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
Further reading
- Schlegel H. 1839. Abbildungen neuer oder unvollständig bekannter Amphibien, nach der Natur oder dem Leben entworfen und mit einem erläuternden Texte begleitet. Düsseldorf: Arne & Co. xiv + 141 pp. (Typhlops lalandei, new species, p. 38).