Indotyphlops pammeces (GÜNTHER, 1864)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Indotyphlops pammeces?
Indotyphlops pammeces
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| Higher Taxa | Typhlopidae (Asiatyphlopinae), Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: South India Worm Snake |
| Synonym | Typhlops tenuis GÜNTHER 1864: 176 (preoccupied by Typhlops tenuis SALVIN 1860) Typhlops pammeces GÜNTHER 1864 (Substitute name for T. tenuis) Typhlops braminus pammeces — BOETTGER 1898 Typhlops psammophilus ANNANDALE 1906 Typhlops psammeces SMITH 1943: 48 (error typographicus) Typhlops pammeces — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 113 Typhlops psammeces — SHARMA 2004 Typhlops pammeces — WALLACH et al. 2014: 768 Indotyphlops pammeces — HEDGES et al. 2014 |
| Distribution | S India, Pakistan ? Type locality: "Madras" [India]." |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.11.34 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus). Species of Indotyphlops have (1) eye, distinct (sometimes indistinct), (2) snout, rounded, (3) head scale arrangement, non-circular, (4) frontorostral, absent, (5) nasal, completely or incompletely divided, (6) nasal suture origin, 2nd supralabial (sometimes preocular, or rarely 1st supralabial), (7) suboculars or subpreoculars, absent, (8) postoculars, 1 in all 18 species recorded, but variable (1–2) in 1 of those species, (9) preocular-labial contact, supralabials 2 & 3 (sometimes 3rd only), (10) midbody scale rows, 18–20 (22 in 1 species; average, 19.4), (11) scale row reduction, absent (sometimes present), (12) total scale rows, 229–468 (average, 345), (13) caudals, 7–15 (average, 10.8), (14) maximum total length, 91–285 (average, 175) mm, (15) total length/midbody diameter, 28–130 (average, 57.6), (16) total length/tail length, 22.3–76 (average, 46.4), (17) dorsal color, shades of brown (sometimes cream, gray, yellowish-brown, reddish brown, lavender-gray, or black), (18) ventral color, variable (white, cream, pale brown, lavender-gray), (19) dorsum darker than venter, (20) overall, uniform, but often with a darker median row of scales giving a slight lineate appearance (Tables 1–2); molecular phylogenetic support (Fig. 1). From other genera of Asiatyphlopinae, Indotyphlops differs in having a single postocular (versus 2 or more). Exceptions are Cyclotyphlops, 3 species of Anilios, and 3 species of Ramphotyphlops. It also has the lowest number of midbody scales (19.4 versus 20.1–30.4 in others; averages), and no scale reduction (6 of 7 species recorded; versus reduction present in Acutotyphlops, Cyclotyphlops, Malayotyphlops, Grypotyphlops, and Xerotyphlops). In total length, Indotyphlops is one of the smallest genera (TL = 175 mm versus > 243 mm in all others except Cyclotyphlops). It is also the thinnest genus in the subfamily (TL/MBD = 57.6 versus < 56 in other genera). Indotyphlops lacks yellow on the venter (except one species) whereas Asiatyphlops, with which it is broadly sympatric, has yellow on the venter [HEDGES et al. 2014: 37]. For an alternative diagnosis see PYRON & WALLACH 2014: 56. |
| Comment | Synonymy: Typhlops pammeces Günther, 1864:444 was listed as a synonym of T. braminus by Peters (1865:263), Blanford (1870:370), Boettger (1889:300), Boulenger (1893:16), Wall (1921:9), Loveridge (1957:244) and Mahendra (1984:41), but recognized as a valid species by Stoliczka (1871:426) and Smith (1943:48). Distribution: Not in Pakistan fide KHAN 2002 (pers. comm.). The original description is available online (see link below). Type species: Typhlops pammeces GÜNTHER 1864 is the type species of the genus Indotyphlops HEDGES et al. 2014. |
| Etymology | The generic name is a masculine noun formed from the adjective indianus (a, um; i.e., ‘from India’) and the Greek noun typhlops (the blind). |
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