Earthworm blind snake
| Earthworm blind snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Typhlops |
| Species: | T. lumbricalis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Typhlops lumbricalis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Typhlops lumbricalis is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family.[1][2][3]
Description
[edit]Typhlops lumbricalis, commonly known as the Earthworm Blind snake or Cuban brown blind snake, is a small, slender non-venomous species characterized by a brown grayish color.[4][5] Individuals of this species can typically reach approximately 166 mm long. They show a lower mid dorsal scale count between 256-271. The species can be distinguished by a thin and elongated oval rostral scale unlike other closely related taxa.[6] The ocular structures have been reduced or absent which results in the name "Blind snake".
Geographic Range
[edit]T. lumbricalis is distributed across certain parts of the Caribbean including the Bahamas and Cuba.[4] The primary range includes the Bimini Islands specifically South Bimini Island, Abaco island and Eleuthera Island.[4][6] Historical records form the Bahamas, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands are now understood as either T. cubae and T. biminiensis.[5][6]
Habitat
[edit]This species typically live in subterranean environments usually in moist soil, leaf litter and decomposing wood. Such habitats not only provide conditions for survival but also facilities cryptic coloration allowing for T. lumbricalis to blend effectively into the surrounding.[4]
Behavior and Diet
[edit]T. lumbricalis diets include a few different insects which include ants and termites through the consumption of their eggs and larvae.[7] The species specialized jaw allows for them to extract the prey from the insect nests.[6][8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Typhlops". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ McDiarmid, Roy W., Jonathan A. Campbell, and T'Shaka A. Touré, 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1
- ^ Typhlops lumbricalis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d Domínguez, Michel; Díaz, Raúl E. (2011). "Taxonomy of the Blind Snakes Associated with Typhlops Lumbricalis (linnaeus, 1758) (scolecophidia, Typhlopidae) from the Bahamas Islands and Cuba". Herpetologica. 67 (2): 194–211. ISSN 0018-0831.
- ^ a b Thomas, Richard (1968). "The Typhlops biminiensis Group of Antillean Blind Snakes". Copeia. 1968 (4): 713–722. doi:10.2307/1441839. ISSN 0045-8511.
- ^ a b c d Iturriaga, Manuel; Domínguez, Michel; Reynoso, Víctor Hugo (2024-09-16). "Resurrection of Typhlops cubae Bibron, 1843 (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), with taxonomic comments on the Typhlops lumbricalis species group". Zootaxa. 5507 (4): 534–548. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5507.4.2. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ DeVos, Tyler; Giery, Sean (2021-11-27). "Establishment of the introduced Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus) on Abaco Island, The Bahamas, with notes on potential niche overlap with the native Cuban Brown Blindsnake (Typhlops lumbricalis)". Reptiles & Amphibians. 28 (3): 555–557. doi:10.17161/randa.v28i3.15667. ISSN 2332-4961.
- ^ "Typical blind snake | EBSCO Research Starters". www.ebsco.com. Retrieved 2025-04-15.