Leptotyphlops

"Catodon" redirects here. For the catodon whale, see sperm whale.

Leptotyphlops is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes,^[2] in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to and found throughout Africa. Eleven species have been moved to the genus Trilepida, and other species have been moved to the genera Epacrophis, Epictia, Mitophis, Myriopholis, Namibiana, Rena, Siagonodon, Tetracheilostoma, and Tricheilostoma.

Leptotyphlops
Leptotyphlops distanti
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Leptotyphlopidae
Genus:	Leptotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843
Synonyms[1]
Stenostoma Wagler, 1824 (preoccupied) Typhlina Wagler, 1830 Stenostona Cuvier, 1836 Leptotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843 Eucephalus Fitzinger, 1843 Catodon A.M.C.Duméril & Bibron, 1844 Glauconia Gray, 1845 Rena Baird & Girard, 1853 Sabrina Girard, 1857 Ramphostoma Jan in Jan & Sordelli, 1860 Tricheilostoma Jan in Jan & Sordelli, 1860 Tetracheilostoma Jan, 1861 Siagonodon W. Peters, 1881 Stenostomophis Rochebrune, 1884 Rhamphostoma Boulenger, 1893

Description

Most species of Leptotyphlops look much like shiny earthworms. They are generally black, grey, or blackish-brown and their scales give them a segmented appearance. Their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness, and hidden behind a protective head scale. The species which are called thread snakes are so named because of their very narrow, long bodies.

Behavior

All blind snakes including those of the genus Leptotyphlops are burrowing snakes, spending most of their time deep in loose soil, typically only emerging when it rains and they get flooded out.

Diet

The primary diet of Leptotyphlops is ant and termite larvae.

Species

Common name	Scientific name[2]	Taxon author[2]	Habitat & Range
Ethiopian worm snake	Leptotyphlops aethiopicus[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Forest, grassland Range: Ethiopia, Kenya[4]
Cape thread snake	Leptotyphlops conjunctus	(Jan, 1861)	Habitat: Grassland Range: South Africa (Eastern Cape Province)[5]
Distant's thread snake	Leptotyphlops distanti	(Boulenger, 1892)	Habitat: Savanna, grassland Range: Mozambique, South Africa (Limpopo Province, North-West Province, Mpumalanga, Gauteng)[6]
Emin Pasha’s worm snake	Leptotyphlops emini	(Boulenger, 1890)	Habitat: Savanna, shrubland Range: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia[7]
Howell’s worm snake	Leptotyphlops howelli [3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Forest, savanna Range: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[8]
Incognito thread snake	Leptotyphlops incognitus[3]	Broadley & Watson, 1976	Habitat: Savanna, grassland Range: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga), Zambia, Zimbabwe[9]
Jacobsen's thread snake	Leptotyphlops jacobseni [3]	Broadley & S. Broadley, 1999	Habitat: Grassland Range: South Africa (Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga)[10]
Shaba thread snake	Leptotyphlops kafubi [3]	(Boulenger, 1919)	Habitat: Savanna, artificial / terrestrial Range: Angola, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia[11]
Mount Kenya worm snake	Leptotyphlops keniensis[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Shrubland Range: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[12]
Uvira worm snake	Leptotyphlops latirostris[3]	(Sternfeld, 1912)	Habitat: Savanna Range: Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Republic of Tanzania[13]
Goggle-eyed worm snake	Leptotyphlops macrops	Broadley & Wallach, 1996	Habitat: Forest, savanna, artificial / terrestrial Range: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[14]
Mbanja worm snake	Leptotyphlops mbanjensis[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Artificial / terrestrial Range: United Republic of Tanzania[15]
Merker’s thread snake	Leptotyphlops merkeri [3]	(F. Werner, 1909)	Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland, artificial / terrestrial, introduced vegetation Range: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[16]
Black thread snake	Leptotyphlops nigricansT	(Schlegel, 1839)	Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland Range: South Africa (Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape)[17]
Black-tip worm snake	Leptotyphlops nigroterminus[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Savanna, shrubland Range: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[18]
Pemba worm snake	Leptotyphlops pembae[3]	Loveridge, 1941	Habitat: Grassland, artificial / terrestrial Range: Pemba Island, Tanzania[19]
Pitman’s thread snake	Leptotyphlops pitmani [3]	Broadley & Wallach, 2007	Habitat: Savanna Range: Kenya, Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda[20]
N/A	Leptotyphlops pungwensis[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 1997	Range: Mozambique[21]
Peter's thread snake	Leptotyphlops scutifrons	(W. Peters, 1854)	Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland Range: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe[22]
Forest thread snake	Leptotyphlops sylvicolus[3]	Broadley & Wallach, 1997	Habitat: Forest, grassland Range: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province)[23]
Tello's thread snake	Leptotyphlops telloi	Broadley & Watson, 1976	Habitat: Savanna Range: Eswatini, Mozambique[24]

^T) Type species.