Mitophis calypso (THOMAS, MCDIARMID & THOMPSON, 1985)

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Higher Taxa	Leptotyphlopidae, Epictinae, Epictini, Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: SAMANA THREADSNAKE
Synonym	Leptotyphlops calypso THOMAS, MCDIARMID & THOMPSON 1985: 206. Leptotyphlops calypso — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 618 Leptotyphlops calypso — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 25 Mitophis calypso — ADALSTEINSSON, BRANCH, TRAPE, VITT & HEDGES 2009 Mitophis calypso — WALLACH et al. 2014: 456
Distribution	Hispaniola Type locality: 6.5 km S Las Galeras, Samaná Province, República Dominicana.
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Holotype: USNM 236659.
Diagnosis	DESCRIPTION: Maximum SVL 190 mm; SVL/midbody diameter 73-87; middorsal scales 375-380; subcaudals 19-20; scale rows 14 reducing to 12 at 96-97% SVL by fusion of scale rows (usually) 2 and 3; eye size 1/6 to 1/8 distance from anterior border of naris to posterior border of eye; rostral moderate in width; snout broadly rounded, not protuberant; supralabials 4; infralabials 4; pigmentation lacking (pink in life) (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 618).
Comment	For illustrations see Thomas, McDiarmid, and Thompson, 1985.
Etymology	Calypso is a proper noun that derives from the Greek verb "to hide" (kalypto, "I hide"); this new species is certainly well hidden in nature. Furthermore, Calypso, the nymph who sequestered Odysseus on Ogygia, was in island creature; and calypso, as a music form, has West Indian associations, even if not in the Hispaniolan traditions.
References	Adalsteinsson, S.A.; Branch, W.R.; Trapé, S.; Vitt, L.J. & Hedges, S.B. 2009. Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the Family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata). Zootaxa 2244: 1-50 - get paper here McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp. Schwartz, A. & Henderson, R.W. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, 720 pp. Thomas, R., R. W. McDiarmid, and F. G. Thompson. 1985. Three new species of thread snakes (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae) from Hispaniola. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 98: 204-220. - get paper here Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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