Indotyphlops braminus

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Ramphotyphlops braminus
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Indotyphlops braminus

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Typhlopidae
Genus: Indotyphlops
Species:
I. braminus
Binomial name
Indotyphlops braminus
(Daudin, 1803)
Synonyms
  • Eryx braminus Daudin, 1803
  • [Tortrix] Russelii
    Merrem, 1820
  • Typhlops braminus
    Cuvier, 1829
  • Typhlops Russeli
    Schlegel, 1839
  • Argyrophis truncatus
    Gray, 1845
  • Argyrophis Bramicus
    Gray, 1845
  • Eryx Bramicus
    — Gray, 1845
  • Tortrix Bramicus
    — Gray, 1845
  • Onychocephalus Capensis A. Smith, 1846
  • Ophthalmidium tenue Hallowell, 1861
  • T[yphlops]. (Typhlops) inconspicuus Jan, 1863
  • T[yphlops]. (Typhlops) accedens Jan, 1863
  • T[yphlops]. accedens
    — Jan & Sordelli, 1864
  • Typhlops (Typhlops) euproctus Boettger, 1882
  • Typhlops bramineus A.B. Meyer, 1887
  • Tortrix russellii
    Boulenger, 1893
  • Typhlops russellii
    — Boulenger, 1893
  • Typhlops braminus
    — Boulenger, 1893
  • Typhlops accedens
    — Boulenger, 1893
  • Typhlops limbrickii Annandale, 1906
  • Typhlops braminus var. arenicola Annandale, 1906
  • [Typhlops braminus] var. pallidus Wall, 1909
  • Typhlops microcephalus F. Werner, 1909
  • Glauconia braueri Sternfeld, 1910
  • [Typhlops] braueri
    — Boulenger, 1910
  • Typhlopidae braminus
    Roux, 1911
  • Typhlops fletcheri
    Wall, 1919
  • Typhlops braminus braminus Mertens, 1930
  • Typhlops braminus
    — Nakamura, 1938
  • Typhlops pseudosaurus Dryden & Taylor, 1969
  • Typhlina (?) bramina
    McDowell, 1974
  • Ramphotyphlops braminus
    Nussbaum, 1980[2]
  • Indotyphlops braminus
    Hedges et al., 2014[3]

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

leaf litter to avoid light.[6][7][8]

Indotyphlops braminus from Kerala, India

The tiny eyes are covered with

translucent scales
, rendering these snakes almost entirely blind. The eyes cannot form images, but are still capable of registering light intensity.

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

type locality given is "Vishakhapatam" [India].[2]

Native range

In Africa, it has been reported in

Limpopo Province at the Medupi Power Station during construction), Madagascar (Nossi Be),[3] the Comoro Islands, Mauritius, the Mascarene Islands and the Seychelles. It has also been found in Libya.[9]

In Asia, it occurs in the

Lakshadweep Islands, where it is the only snake reported),[10] the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, southern China (including Hainan), Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan (in the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawashima and Miyakoshima
).

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

triploid,[16][17][18] and it has been proposed that the species be transferred to a new genus as Virgotyphlops braminus because of its obligate parthenogenetic nature.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ (volume).
  3. ^ a b Uetz, P.; Freed, P.; Aguilar, R.; Hošek, J. (eds.). "Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)". The Reptile Database.
  4. ^ a b c "Ramphotyphlops braminus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  5. OCLC 858573072
    .
  6. ^ a b c d Brahminy Blind Snake at the Florida State Museum of Natural History. Accessed 30 August 2007.
  7. ^ Brahminy Blind Snake- One of the Worlds Smallest Snake, MeBlog, Sep 4, 2018, retrieved 2022-12-08
  8. ^ The one of the smallest snake in the world
  9. ^ "Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)".
  10. ^ .
  11. ^ Aru Islands: requires confirmation according to McDowell, 1974:25
  12. ^ 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.
  13. .
  14. .
  15. ^ "New snake species found in Malta may be invasive". 1 December 2020.
  16. .
  17. ^ 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. .
  18. .
  19. ^ 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.
  20. S2CID 238115067
    .

Further reading

External links