| Higher Taxa | Typhlopidae (Typhlopinae), Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Puerto Rican Brown-bellied Blindsnake, Puerto Rican Worm Snake |
| Synonym | Typhlops rostellatus STEJNEGER 1904: 686
Typhlops rostellata — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 657
Typhlops rostellatus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 118
Typhlops rostellatus — KORNILIOS et al. 2013
Typhlops rostellatus — HEDGES et al. 2014
Typhlops rostellatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 770 |
| Distribution | Puerto Rico
Type locality: Lares, Puerto Rico.
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| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: USNM 25463. Collected by A. B. Baker, January 26, 1899. |
| Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION: Maximum TL 222 mm; TL/taillength 33-52; TL/midbody diameter 32-52; middorsal scales 314-358; scale rows 20-18; head shape rounded; rostral narrow in dorsal aspect, clavate to parallel (rarely oval or waisted), apex not flared; postoculars 2. Coloration uniformly dark brown, fading slightly ventrally; unpigmented areas around mouth, snout, and vent + underside of tail (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 657).
Diagnosis: Snout rounded; nostrils lateral; preocular in contact with third labial only; nasal completely divided in two; two postoculars; rostral very narrow, one-fifth to one-sixth the width of the head; 18-20 scale rows. |
| Comment | For illustrations see Stejneger, 1904; Schmidt, 1928; Thomas, 1976. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word “ rostellatus ” meaning “beak” referring to the very narrow, beak shaped rostral. |
| References |
- Hedges, S. B. and R. Thomas. 1991. Cryptic species of snakes (Typhlopidae: Typhlops) from the Puerto Rico Bank detected by protein electrophoresis. Herpetologica 47: 448-459. - 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
- Kornilios, P.; S. Giokas, P. Lymberakis, R. Sindaco 2013. Phylogenetic position, origin and biogeography of Palearctic and Socotran blind-snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68 (1): 35–41 - get paper here
- Legler, J.M. 1959. A new blind snake (genus Typhlops) from Cuba. Herpetologica 15 (2): 105-112 - 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.
- Schmidt, K.P. 1928. Scientific Survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands: Amphibians and land reptiles of Porto Rico, with a list of those reported from the Virgin Islands. New York Academy of Sciences 10 (1):160 pp.
- Schwartz, A. & Henderson, R.W. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, 720 pp.
- Stejneger, L. 1904. The herpetology of Porto Rico. Rept. United States Natl. Mus. 1902: 549-724. - get paper here
- Thomas, R. 1976. Systematics of Antillean blind snakes of the genus Typhlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae). Ph.D. Thesis, Louisiana State Univ.: xvi + 288pp.
- 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.
- Werner, F. 1913. Neue oder seltene Reptilien und Frösche des Naturhistorischen Museums in Hamburg. Reptilien der Ostafrika-Expedition der Hamburger Geographischen Gesellschaft 1911/12. Leiter: Dr. E. Obst. Reptilien und Amphibien von Formosa. Jb. Hamb. wiss. Anst., 30 [1912], 2. Beiheft: 1-39, 40-45, 45-51 - get paper here
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