Calabresi's blind snake
| Calabresi's blind snake | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Afrotyphlops |
| Species: | A. calabresii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Afrotyphlops calabresii | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Calabresi's blind-snake (Afrotyphlops calabresii), also known commonly as the southern wedge-snouted blind snake,[3]: 345 is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae.[2][4] The species is native to northwestern Somalia, adjacent Ethiopia, and eastern Kenya.[2] The specific name calabresii honours Italian zoologist Enrica Calabresi.[5]
Description
Adults of Afrotyphlops calabresii usually have a total length (tail included) of 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in), and the maximum recorded total length is 19 cm (7.5 in). The snout is wedge-shaped and prominent. They eye is visible and large. There are 22 scales around the body at midbody, and 257–302 scales in the vertebral row. It is brown, with a silvery sheen when alive.[3]: 345
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of Afrotyphlops calabresii are savanna and shrubland, at elevations of 200–1,100 m (660–3,610 ft).[1]
Behavior
Afrotyphlops calabresii is terrestrial and fossorial,[1] burrowing in sand and emerging at night.[3]: 345
Reproduction
Afrotyphlops calabresii is oviparous.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b c d Spawls, S.; Malonza, P. (2021). "Afrotyphlops calabresii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021 e.T22473559A22473568. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T22473559A22473568.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Afrotyphlops calabresii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Hinkel, H.; Menegon, M. (2018). A Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury Wildlife. ISBN 978-1-399-40481-5. 624 pp.
- ^ "Afrotyphlops calabresii (Gans and Laurent, 1965)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Gans, C.; Laurent, R.F.; Pandit, Hemchandra (1965). "Notes on a herpetological collection from the Somali Republic" (PDF). Annales du Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale. 8th Serie, Sciences Zoologiques. 134. Tervuren, Belgium: 1–93. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
We here propose to recognize the northern population as a new subspecies and to name this for Dr. Enrico [sic] Calabresi, author of the earliest modern reviews of the Somali herpetofauna.
(Typhlops cuneirostris calabresii, new subspecies, p. 54).
Further reading
- Broadley, D.G.; Wallach, V. (2009). "A review of the eastern and southern African blind-snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), excluding Letheobia Cope, with the description of two new genera and a new species". Zootaxa. 2255: 1–100. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2255.1.1. (Typhlops calabresii, new taxonomic status).
- Hedges, S.B.; Marion, A.B.; Lipp, K.M.; Marin, J.; Vidal, N. (2014). "A taxonomic framework for typhlopid snakes from the Caribbean and other regions (Reptilia, Squamata)". Caribbean Herpetology. 49: 1–61. (Afrotyphlops calabresii, new combination).
- Pyron, R.A.; Wallach, V. (2014). "Systematics of the blindsnakes (Serpentes: Scolecophedia: Typhlopoidea) based on molecular and morphological evidence". Zootaxa. 3829 (1): 1–81. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3829.1.1. PMID 25081272. (Madatyphlops calabresii, new combination).