| Higher Taxa | Typhlopidae (Afrotyphlopinae), Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Eritrean Blind Snake |
| Synonym | Typhlops erythraeus SCORTECCI 1929: 291
Rhinotyphlops somalicus – (not BOULENGER) ROUX-ESTÈVE 1974: 200
Rhinotyphlops somalicus – ROUX-ESTÈVE 1975: 445 (part)
Rhinotyphlops somalicus – HAHN 1980: 35 (part)
Rhinotyphlops erythraeus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 79
Letheobia erythraeus — BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007
Letheobia erythraea — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 446
Typhlops eritraeus — SCALI 2010 (in error)
Letheobia erythraea — HEDGES et al. 2014
Letheobia erythraea — WALLACH et al. 2014: 379 |
| Distribution | Eritrea (endemic to highlands, elevatin 1800-2200 m).
Type locality: Saganeiti, Eritrea (15°04’N, 39°12’E, elevation 2200 m).
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| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MSNM 3353 (Milano, ex-MSNM 2015); collected by Captain L. Fossati. |
| Diagnosis | Description: Snout obtusely pointed in both dorsal and lateral profiles. Rostral cuneiform, broad below, terminating in a conical point, frontal subtrapezoid; supraoculat transverse, its lateral apex between preocular and ocular; eye invisible; nasal divided, inferior suture arising from second labial; ocular divided into sub-equal dorsal ocular and ventral subocular; SIP X (N1, P, S, S); MSR 20, reduction A/B 4–6, B/C 0; MD 443–462; L/D ratio 68–72; tail without a terminal spine. Brown above and gold below. For abbreviations see L. caeca. From BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007.
Original description: Scortecci 1929: 291 |
| Comment | R. erythraeus is closely related to R. somalicus.
Habitat: Eritrean montane grassland and woodland. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
| References |
- Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, V. 2007. A review of East and Central African species of Letheobia Cope, revived from the synonymy of Rhinotyphlops Fitzinger, with descriptions of five new species (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). Zootaxa 1515: 31–68 - get paper here
- Franzen, M. & V. Wallach 2002. A new Rhinotyphlops from southeastern Turkey (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). Journal of Herpetology 36 (2): 176-184 - get paper here
- 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 - get paper here
- Largen, M.J.; Spawls, S. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 694 pp.
- McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp.
- Roux-Estève, R. 1974. Recherches sur la morphologie, la biogeographie et la phylogenie des Typhlopidae d'Afrique. Instit. Francais d'Afr. Noire, Dakar, Bull. (Ser. A) 36: 428-510 [1975]
- Roux-Estève, R. 1974. Révision systématique des Typhlopidae d'Afrique. Reptilia. Serpentes. Mém. nation. Hist. nat., Paris, (sér.A.) 87: 1-313
- Scali, Stefano 2010. Storia e importanza scientifica della collezione erpetologica del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano // History and scientific importance of the herpetology collection of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Milan. [type catalog] Museologia Scientifica Memorie 2010 (5): 69-77 - get paper here
- Scortecci, G. 1929. Rettili dell'Eritrea esistenti nelle Collezioni del Museo Civico de Milano. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano 67 (3-4): 290-339 [1928] - get paper here
- Stephen Spawls; Tomáš Mazuch& Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - get paper here
- Wallach, V. & Gemel, R. 2018. Typhlops weidholzi n. inedit., a new species of Letheobia from the republic of Cameroon, and a synopsis of the genus (Squamata: Serpentes: Scolecophidia: Typhlopidae). Herpetozoa 31 (1/2): 27 - 46 - get paper here
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