'Common names:' slender blind snakes, thread snakes.
[1]
The 'Leptotyphlopidae' are a
family of
snakes found in
North and
South America,
Africa, and
Asia. All are
fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites. Currently, 2
genera are recognized comprising 87
species.
Description
These are relatively small snakes rarely exceeding 30 cm in length; only ''
Leptotyphlops macrolepis'' and ''
L. occidentalis'' grow larger. The cranium and upper jaws are immobile and there are no teeth in the upper jaw. The lower jaw consists of a much elongated quadrate bone, a tiny compound bone, and a relatively larger dentary bone.
[2] Among these snakes is what is believed to be the world's smallest: the Lesser Antillean threadsnake, ''
L. bilineatus''.
Geographic range
Found in
Africa, western
Asia from
Turkey to northwestern
India, on
Socotra Island, from the southwestern
United States south through
Mexico and
Central America to
South America, though not in the high
Andes. In Pacific South America they occur as far south as southern coastal
Peru, and on the Atlantic side as far as
Uruguay and
Argentina. In the
Caribbean they are found on the
Bahamas,
Hispaniola and the
Lesser Antilles.
Habitat
Occur in a wide variety of habitats from arid areas to
rainforest and are known to occur near
ant and
termite nests.
Feeding
Their diet consists mostly of termites or ants, their
larvae and
pupae. Most species suck out the contents of
insect bodies and discard the skin.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying).
Genera
Genus | Authority | Species | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|
| ''Leptotyphlops''T | Fitzinger, 1843 | 86 | Slender blind snakes, thread snakes | Africa, southwestern Asia, on Socotra Island, from the southwestern United States south through Mexico, Central America and South America as far as Uruguay and Argentina. In the Caribbean they are found on the Bahamas (San Salvador Island), the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Hispaniola and the Lesser Antilles. |
| ''Rhinoleptus'' | Orejas-Miranda, Roux-Estève and Guibé, 1970 | 1 | Villiers' blind snake | West Africa: Senegal and Guinea. |
T)
Type genus.
See also
★
List of snakes - Overview of all snake genera.
Cited references
1.
2.
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