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Grypotyphlops acutus (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1844)

IUCN Red List - Grypotyphlops acutus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaTyphlopidae (Afrotyphlopinae), Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Beaked Worm Snake, Beaked Blind Snake 
SynonymOnychocephalus acutus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 333
Onychocephalus unilineatus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 278
Typhlops (Onychocephalus) unilineatus — JAN 1863: 13
Typhlops russellii GRAY 1845: 132
Onychocephalus westermanni LÜTKEN 1863
Typhlops excipiens JAN 1864
Onychocephalus malabaricus BEDDOME in GÜNTHER 1875 (nom. nud.)
Grypotyphlops acutus — PETERS 1881: 70
Typhlops acutus — BOULENGER 1890: 242
Typhlops unilineatus — BOULENGER 1893: 15
Typhlops acutus — BOULENGER 1893: 56
Typhlops psittacus WERNER 1903: 248
Typhlops acutus — SMITH 1943
Typhlops acuta — CONSTABLE 1949: 113
Typhlops acutus — WALLACH 1994
Rhinotyphlops acutus — WALLACH 1994
Rhinotyphlops acutus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 77
Typhlops unilineatus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 123
Grypotyphlops unilineatus — WALLACH 2003
Grypotyphlops acutus — WALLACH 2003
Rhinotyphlops acutus — VYAS 2007
Letheobia acutus — BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007
Grypotyphlops acutus — HEDGES et al. 2014
Grypotyphlops acutus — PYRON & WALLACH 2014
Grypotyphlops acutus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 317 
DistributionIndia (widespread but endemic to peninsular India; see map in WALLACH 1994; Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra)

Type locality: unknown (fide DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844, but shown on a map in WALLACH 1994). Neotype locality: one of the Kanheri Caves at base of Hankeri Hills, Kanheri National Park, 5 miles E Borivli, ca. 20 miles NNE Bombay, India.

unilineatus (invalid): see comment; Type locality: “Cayenne”. In error fide DIXON & HENDRICKS 1979.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: UF 19902, collected W. Auffenberg, 23.vi.1964. Designated by Wallach (1994). Holotype: MNHN (=MNHP) lost fide Hahn (1980). Also (erroneously) reported as Holotype: ZMUC 52183.
Holotype: MNHN 1064 [unilineatus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus). Species of Grypotyphlops have (1) eye, distinct or indistinct, (2) snout, beaked, (3) head scale arrangement, non-circular, (4) frontorostral, absent, (5) nasal, completely or incompletely divided, (6) nasal suture origin, 2nd supralabial, (7) suboculars or subpreoculars, present, (8) postoculars, 4 (rarely 3 or 5; average, 4.0), (9) preocular-labial contact, supralabials 2 & 3, (10) midbody scale rows, 24–30, (11) scale row reduction, present, (12) total scale rows, 448–526 (average, 487), (13) caudals, 7–13 (average, 10.0), (14) maximum total length, 630 mm, (15) total length/midbody diameter, 30–66 (average, 48.0), (16) total length/tail length, 17–133 (average, 75.1), (17) dorsal color, gray, brown, or golden brown, (18) ventral color, grayish-white, yellow, or pale brown, (19) dorsum darker than venter, (20) overall, coloration is uniform, although pale scale centers may appear as weakly-defined lines (Tables 1–2); no molecular phylogenetic information is available.
From other genera of Asiatyphlopinae except Acutotyphlops and Cyclotyphlops, Grypotyphlops differs in having subocular scales (versus absent). Grypotyphlops differs from Acutotyphlops in lacking a frontorostral and from Cyclotyphlops in having non-circular head scales (versus circular arrangement). Although one species of Xe- rotyphlops has a subocular scale, Grypotyphlops differs from that genus in having more postoculars (3–5 versus 2), more midbody scale rows (29 versus 23.5, averages), and more total scale rows (448–526 versus 206–435). At 630 mm TL, Grypotyphlops also stands out in its large size [HEDGES et al. 2014]. For an alternative diagnosis see PYRON & WALLACH 2014: 52.


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CommentDistribution: The original type locality “Cayenne” is in French Guiana and thus in error. T. unilineatus is not listed by GASC & RODRIGUES 1980. Not listed for French Guiana by STARACE 1998.

Phylogenetics: Hedges et al. 2014 placed Grypotyphlops in the Asiatyphlopinae but more recent studies, e.g. Sidharthan & Karanth 2021 place it in Afrotyphlopinae.

Synonymy: fide WALLACH 2003 and HEDGES et al. 2014: 37.

Type species: Onychocephalus acutus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 333 is the type species of the genus Grypotyphlops PETERS 1881.

Morphology: for morphological data in this genus see Pyron & Wallach 2014: Table 2. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin “acuere” = sharp, or “acutus” = sharpened, pointed, or “acumen” = tip, or “acus” = needle.

The genus name is a masculine noun formed from the Greek adjective grypos (hook-nosed) and Greek noun typhlops (the blind), in reference to the beaked snouts of these blindsnakes. 
References
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