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Leptotyphlops nigricans (SCHLEGEL, 1839)

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Higher TaxaLeptotyphlopidae, Leptotyphlopinae, Leptotyphlopini, Typhlopoidea, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Black Thread Snake, Cape wormsnake 
SynonymTyphlops nigricans SCHLEGEL 1839: 38
Leptotyphlops nigricans — FIT ZINGER 1843
Stenostoma nigricans — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 326
Glauconia nigricans — GRAY 1845: 139
Stenostoma nigricans — JAN 1861
Stenostoma nigricans — BOCAGE 1866: 46
Glauconia nigricans — BOULENGER 1893: 67
Leptotyphlops nigricans — SCHMIDT 1923
Leptotyphlops nigricans nigricans — BROADLEY & WATSON 1976: 490
Leptotyphlops nigricans — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 39
Leptotyphlops nigricans — BROADLEY & WALLACH 2007: 60
Leptotyphlops nigricans — ADALSTEINSSON, BRANCH, TRAPE, VITT & HEDGES 2009
Leptotyphlops nigricans — WALLACH et al. 2014: 368 
DistributionS Republic of South Africa (Western and Eastern Cape Provinces) (BROADLEY 1999: 16-17), Republic of South Sudan (RSS)

Type locality: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: MNHN-RA 3232, RMNH, ZMB 5244 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Species of Leptotyphlops have 14 midbody scale rows, 10–12 midtail scale rows, 171–322 middorsal scale rows, 18–44 subcaudals, two supralabials, a small anterior supralabial (moderate in L. howelli), 126–292 mm maximum adult total length, a body shape of 36–106 (total length/width), a relative tail length of 5.1–13.7 %, a tail shape of 3.4–9.2, no striped pattern, and usually a dark brown or brown dorsum and venter (Table 2). Members of Leptotyphlops can be distinguished from the other genus in the Tribe Leptotyphlopini (described below) by having a heart-shaped or subtriangular (rather than semilunate) cloacal shield, a lower number (on average) of middorsal scales (171–322 versus 241–387), and a less attenuate body shape (36–106 versus 45–142). The support for this group was 100% BP and 100% PP for the four-gene tree (Fig. 3) and 100% BP and 100% PP for the nine-gene tree (Fig. 4). [from ADALSTEINSSON et al. 2009].


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CommentDistribution: According to Wallach 1996 not known from Kenya. Leptotyphlops nigricans is not listed by BROADLEY & POYNTON 1998 for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). Hahn 1980 gave as range “Southern Cape Province from Calvinia to lower Transkei; central Transvaal; central Zambia through eastern Angola, eastern Zaire, Rwanda, Tanzania; Kenya and Uganda to the southern Sudan.” The record from Calvinia (Peters, 1882) was based on L. gracilior (BROADLEY 1999). LARGEN & RASMUSSEN 1993 listed this species for Ethiopia.

Synonymy: SCHMIDT’s (1923) Leptotyphlops nigricans seems to be L. emini (fide ROUX-ESTEVE 1975). Kaiser et al. 2013 considered the generic names Karimdaouesus Hoser 2012, Ottobreus Hoser 2012, Teesleptotyphlops Hoser 2012, Bobbottomus Hoser 2012 invalid and rejected their use instead of Leptotyphlops.

Subspecies: Leptotyphlops nigricans pembae has been elevated to species status.

Type species: Typhlops nigricans SCHLEGEL 1839 is the type species of the genus Leptotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843. Leptotyphlops is the type genus of the family Leptotyphlopidae.

Key to genera: Martins et al. 2020 provide a key to the genera of New World Leptotyphlopidae.

Key to species in NE Africa and SW Arabia: (Broadley & Wallach 2007: 70)

Key to Southern African Leptotyphlops: Broadley & Broadley 1999: 30

Phylogenetics: Martins et al. 2020 provide a phylogenetic analysis of Leptotyphlopidae and classify them into 4 tribes, Leptotyphlopini, Myriopholini, Epictini, and Rhinoleptini.

Type genus: Leptotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843 is the type genus of the family Leptotyphlopidae Stejneger, 1892 and the type genus of the subfamily Leptotyphlopinae (see Adalsteinsson et al. 2009: 25). 
EtymologyNamed after the dark color of the species.

The genus name is masculine and derived from the Greek adjective leptos (thin) and Greek noun typhlops (blind), in allusion to the attenuate body shape and reduced vision of these snakes. 
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
  • Angel, Fernand 1925. Résultats Scientifiques. Vertebrata. Reptiles et Batraciens. [Mabuia (Mabuiopsis) jeanneli, Lygosoma graueri quinquedigitata, Ablepharus massaiensis]. In: Voyage de Ch. Alluaud et R. Jeannel en Afrique Orientale (1911-1912). - Paris, 2: 1-63.
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1887. Synopsis of the snakes of South Africa. The Zoologist, London, (3) 11: 171-182
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1890. Description of a new Snake of the Genus Glauconia Gray, obtained by Dr. Emin Pasha on the Victoria Nyanza. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 6: 91-93. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. London (Taylor & Francis), 448 pp. - get paper here
  • Broadley, D.G. 1991. The Herpetofauna of Northern Mwinilunga Distr., Northw. Zambia. Arnoldia Zimbabwe 9 (37): 519-538
  • Broadley, D.G. & WATSON,G. 1976. A revision of the Worm Snakes of South-eastern Africa (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Occ. Pap. nation. Mus. Rhodesia Bulawayo, (BS) 1976: (8): 465-510
  • Broadley, Donald G. & Broadley, Sheila 1999. A review of the Arican wormsnakes from South of Latitude 12°S (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Syntarsus 5: 1-36
  • Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, V. 2007. A revision of the genus Leptotyphlops in northeastern Africa and southwestern Arabia (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Zootaxa 1408: 1–78 - get paper here
  • Chifundera, K. 1990. Snakes of Zaire and their bites. Afr. Stud. Monogr. (Kyoto) 10(3): 137-157.
  • Chippaux, Jean-Philippe & Kate Jackson 2019. Snakes of Central and Western Africa. Johns Hopkins University Press, 448 pp. [detaileld review in HR 51 (1): 161] - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1844. Erpetologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol.6. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris, 609 pp. - get paper here
  • Fitzinger, L. 1843. Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae. Braumüller et Seidel, Wien: 106 pp. - get paper here
  • Fitzsimons, V. 1966. A check-list, with syntopic keys, to the snakes of southern Africa. Annals Transvaal Museum 25 (3): 35-79 - get paper here
  • Fraser M. 2023. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa. Biodiversity Observations 13: 162–185. 14 March 2023 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1845. Catalogue of the specimens of lizards in the collection of the British Museum. Trustees of die British Museum/Edward Newman, London: xxvii + 289 pp. - get paper here
  • Guibé, J. & Roux-Estève, R. 1972. Les types de Schlegel (Ophidiens) présents dans les collections du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Zoologische Mededelingen 47: 129-134 - get paper here
  • Hahn D. E. & V. WALLACH, 1998. Comments on the systematics of Old World Leptotyphlops (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae), with description of a new species. Hamadryad 23: 50-62 - get paper here
  • Hallermann, J. & M. O. Roedel 1995. A new species of Leptotyphlops (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae) of the longicaudus-group from West Africa. Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. (Biol.) 532: 1-8. - 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
  • Hoser, R.T. 2012. A review of the extant scolecophidians (“blindsnakes”) including the formal naming and diagnosis of new tribes, genera, subgenera, species and subspecies for divergent taxa. Australasian J. Herpetol. 15: 1–64. - get paper here
  • Jan, G. 1861. Iconographie générale des ophidiens. 2. Livraison. J.B. Bailière et Fils, Paris - get paper here
  • Kaiser, H.; Crother, B.I.; Kelly, C.M.R.; Luiselli, L.; O’Shea, M.; Ota, H.; Passos, P.; Schleip, W.D. & Wüster, W. 2013. Best Practices: In the 21st Century, Taxonomic Decisions in Herpetology are Acceptable Only When Supported by a Body of Evidence and Published via Peer-Review. Herpetological Review 44 (1): 8-23
  • Lanza, B. 1983. A list of the Somali amphibians and reptiles. MONITORE ZOOLOGICO ITALIANO, new Ser., SUPPL. 18 (8): 193-247 - get paper here
  • Lanza, B. 1990. Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: check list and biogeography. Biogeographia, 14: 407-465 [1988] - get paper here
  • Largen,M.J. & Rasmussen,J.B. 1993. Catalogue of the snakes of Ethiopia (Reptilia Serpentes), including identification keys. Tropical Zoology 6: 313-434 - get paper here
  • Martins AR, Koch C, Pinto R, Folly M, Fouquet A, Passos P. 2019. From the inside out: Discovery of a new genus of threadsnakes based on anatomical and molecular data, with discussion of the leptotyphlopid hemipenial morphology. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Rersearch - 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.
  • Roux-Estève,R. 1975. Serpents: Typhlopidae et Leptotyphlopidae. Fondation pour Favoriser les Recherches Scientifiques en Afrique, Bruxelles, Exploration du Parc Natl. des Virunga fasc. 24 (2.s.) 61 pp.
  • Schlegel, H. 1839. Abbildungen neuer oder unvollständig bekannter Amphibien, nach der Natur oder dem Leben entworfen und mit einem erläuternden Texte begleitet. Arne and Co., Düsseldorf, xiv + 141 pp. - get paper here
  • Schmidt, K. P. 1923. Contributions to the herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909-1915. Part II. Snakes, with field notes by Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. Bull. Amer. Mus. nat. Hist. 49 (1): 1-146 - get paper here
  • Seung Hoon, Cha 2012. Snake, the world most beautifull curve [in Korean]. Hownext, 304 pp. [ISBN 978-89-965656-7-3] - get paper here
  • Spawls, Stephen; Tomáš Mazuch & Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - 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.
  • Wallach,V. 1996. Leptotyphlops drewesi n. sp., a worm snake from central Kenya (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Journal of African Zoology 110 (6): 425-431
 
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