Leptotyphlops macrops (BROADLEY & WALLACH, 1996)
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Higher Taxa | Leptotyphlopidae, Leptotyphlopinae, Leptotyphlopini, Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Goggle-eyed worm snake |
Synonym | Glauconia emini — STERNFELD 1908: 242 Glauconia longicauda — ANGEL 1925: 30. Leptotyphlops conjunctus conjunctus — SPAWLS 1978: 2 (part.) Leptotyphlops nigricans — HALLERMANN & RÖDEL, 1995: 5 Leptotyphlops macrops BROADLEY & WALLACH 1996 Leptotyphlops macrops — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 35 Leptotyphlops macrops — BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007: 33 Leptotyphlops macrops — ADALSTEINSSON, BRANCH, TRAPE, VITT & HEDGES 2009 Leptotyphlops macrops — WALLACH et al. 2014: 368 Leptotyphlops macrops — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 368 |
Distribution | Kenya, Tanzania Type locality: Mkwaja Forests, Pangani District, Tanga Region, Tanzania (05°52’S, 38°47’E, elevation below 100 m). |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Holotype: NMZB 11352, collected by A. Cockle, 10 September 1991; allotype in ZMUC |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A member of the Leptotyphlops nigricans species group, distinguished from all others except L. howelli and L. pembae by the large eye beneath a bulge in the ocular shield and higher counts for both middorsals and subcaudals. It differs from L. howelli and L. pembae in its more numerous middorsals (272–313 vs 229–269) and lacking white patches on chin and throat. (Broadley & Wallach 2007) Additional details (1515 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
Comment | Leptotyphlops macrops is distinguished from all other species in the genus by the combination of a very large eye beneath a dome in the ocular shield and the presence of a unipartite testis. Leptotyphlops macrops is provisionally included in the L. longicaudus group and seems to be most closely related to L. emini, which on the basis of its paired parietal bones is a valid species rather than a synonym of L. nigricans (List, 1966). It differs from L. howelli and L. pembae in its more numerous middorsals (272–1 vs 229–269) and lacking white patches on chin and throat (BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007). Habitat. Coastal forest and environs. |
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