Indotyphlops braminus
Indotyphlops braminus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Typhlopidae |
Genus: | Indotyphlops |
Species: | I. braminus
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Binomial name | |
Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)
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Synonyms | |
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Indotyphlops braminus, commonly known as the brahminy blind snake[4] and other names, is a non-venomous blind snake species found mostly in Africa and Asia, but has been introduced in many other parts of the world. They are completely fossorial (i.e., burrowing) reptiles, with habits and appearance similar to earthworms, for which they are often mistaken, although close examination reveals tiny scales and eyes rather than the annular segments characteristic of true earthworms. The species is parthenogenetic and all known specimens have been female.[5] The specific name is a Latinized form of the word Brahmin. No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
Description
The tiny eyes are covered with
Common names
I. braminus is variously known as the brahminy blind snake,[4] flowerpot snake, common blind snake, island blind snake, teliya snake, and Hawaiian blind snake. The moniker "flowerpot snake" derives from the snake's incidental introduction to various parts of the world through the plant trade. "Kurudi" is the common Malayalam term which refers to braminus. "Sirupaambu" is the common Tamil term which refers to braminus.
Distribution
Most likely originally native to Africa and Asia, it is an introduced species in many parts of the world, including Australia, the Americas, and Oceania.
The vertical distribution is from sea level to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) in
Native range
In Africa, it has been reported in
In Asia, it occurs in the
In
.It also occurs in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and on Christmas Island.
Introduced range
In Australia, it occurs in the Northern Territory near Darwin, and in parts of Queensland.
In Oceania, it occurs on Papua New Guinea, Palau, Guam, Fiji, Saipan, the Hawaiian Islands and Tahiti in French Polynesia.
In the Americas, it occurs in the United States (California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Arizona, Hawaii and Texas), western and southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Barbados and on the Cayman Islands, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands. It has also been spotted in the Okanagan in B.C., Canada.
In Europe, it has been found in Spain[12] (in the Canary Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria),[13] in Italy (on the island of Ischia),[14] and in Malta;[15] it is believed to have been introduced in soil imported with potted plants, and has been labeled potentially invasive to native fauna.
Habitat
Usually, brahminy blind snakes occur in urban and agricultural areas.[6] These snakes live underground in ant and termite nests. They are also found under logs, moist leaves, stones and humus in wet forest, dry jungle, abandoned buildings, and even city gardens. The distribution and survival of this group of blind snakes directly reflect soil humidity and temperature.[10]
Feeding
Their diet consists of the larvae, eggs, and pupae of ants and termites.[6]
Reproduction
I. braminus is
See also
References
- ^ Shea, G., Stuart, B.L., Chan-Ard, T., Wogan, G., Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., Vijayakumar, S.P., Ramesh, M., Ganesan, S.R., Madala, M., Sreekar, R., Shankar, G., Allison, A., Hamilton, A., Tallowin, O., Beraduccii, J., Howell, K., Msuya, C.A., Ngalason, W., Parker, F., O'Shea, M. & Iskandar, D. 2021. Indotyphlops braminus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T172704A1370555. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T172704A1370555.en. Accessed on 07 July 2023.
- ^ ISBN 1-893777-01-4(volume).
- ^ a b Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)". The Reptile Database.
- ^ a b c "Ramphotyphlops braminus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
- OCLC 858573072.
- ^ a b c d Brahminy Blind Snake at the Florida State Museum of Natural History. Accessed 30 August 2007.
- ^ Brahminy Blind Snake- One of the Worlds Smallest Snake, MeBlog, Sep 4, 2018, retrieved 2022-12-08
- ^ The one of the smallest snake in the world
- ^ "Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)".
- ^ ISBN 978-0333901984.
- ^ Aru Islands: requires confirmation according to McDowell, 1974:25
- ^ Zamora-Camacho, Francisco Javier (30 July 2017). "On the role of plant nurseries introducing Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803), in Spain". Herpetozoa. 30 (1/2): 69–72.
- ISBN 9780691170763.
- S2CID 213592951.
- ^ "New snake species found in Malta may be invasive". 1 December 2020.
- hdl:2246/5203.
- ^ Ota, Hidetoshi; Hikida, Tsutomu; Matsui, Masafumi; Mori, Akira; Wynn, Addison H. (1 January 1991). "Morphological variation, karyotype and reproduction of the parthenogenetic blind snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus, from the insular region of East Asia and Saipan". Amphibia-Reptilia. 12 (2): 181–193. .
- .
- ^ Wallach, Van (May 2020). "How to easily identify the flowerpot blindsnake, Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803), with proposal of a new genus (Serpentes: Typhlopidae)" (PDF). Pod@rcis. Vol. 11, no. 1. pp. 4–12.
- S2CID 238115067.
Further reading
- Annandale N. 1906. Notes on the fauna of a desert tract in southern India. Part I. Batrachians and reptiles, with remarks on the reptiles of the desert region of the North-West Frontier. Mem. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, Calcutta 1: 183–202.
- 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 braminus, pp. 16–17).
- Daudin FM. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Reptiles. Tome septième [Volume 7]. Paris: F. Dufart. 436 pp.
- Hedges SB, Marion AB, Lipp KM, Marin J, Vidal N. 2014. A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata). Caribbean Herpetology (49): 1-61. (Indotyphlops braminus, new combination).
- Jones GS, Thomas LA, Wong K. 1995. "Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review 26 (4):210-211.
- Kelaart EF. 1854. Catalogue of reptiles collected in Ceylon. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Second Series 13: 137–140.
- Kraus F, Carvalho D. 2001. The Risk to Hawai'i from Snakes. Pacific Science 55 (4): 409–417. PDF Archived 2002-02-11 at the Wayback Machine at University of Hawai'i press. Accessed 20 April 2008.
- Nussbaum RA. 1980. The brahminy blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) in the Seychelles Archipelago: Distribution, variation, and further evidence for parthenogenesis. Herpetologica 36 (3): 215–221.
- Oliver JA, Shaw CE. 1953. The amphibians and reptiles of the Hawaiian Islands. Zoologica, New York 38 (5): 65–95.
- ISBN 0-7894-9393-4.
- Mizuno, T., & Kojima, Y. (2015). A blindsnake that decapitates its termite prey. Journal of Zoology, 297(3), 220–224.
- Owen R, Bowman DT Jr, Johnson SA. 1998. "Geographic Distribution. Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review 29 (2): 115.
- Palmer, DD and RN Fisher. 2010. "Geographic Distribution. Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review 41 (4): 518.
- Thomas LA. 1997. "Geographic Distribution. Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review 28 (2): 98.
- Vijayakumar SP, David P. 2006. Taxonomy, Natural History, And Distribution Of The Snakes Of The Nicobar Islands (INDIA), Based On New Materials And With An Emphasis On Endemic Species. Russian Journal of Herpetology 13 (1): 11 – 40.
- Wall F. 1919. Notes on a collection of Snakes made in the Nilgiri Hills and the adjacent Wynaad. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 26: 552–584.
- Wallach V. 1999. "Geographic distribution: Ramphotyphlops braminus ". Herpetological Review 30 (4): 236.
External links
- Indotyphlops braminus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 30 August 2007.
- Ramphotyphlops braminus at Snakes of Japan. Accessed 30 August 2007.
- Ramphotyphlops braminus at WildHerps.com. Accessed 30 August 2007.
- R. braminus at ThailandSnakes.com. Accessed 22 December 2014.
- Indotyphlops braminus at the Tucson Herpetological Society.