Anomochilus Weberi
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''Anomochilus weberi'', commonly known as Weber's dwarf pipesnake or the Sumatran giant blind snake, is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
in the dwarf pipesnake
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Anomochilidae. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the islands of
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
and
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, where it inhabits montane and lowland dipterocarp forest at altitudes of . Described by the
herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude in 1890, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It is the smallest species in its genus, with a total length of . It is mostly black in color, with pale stripes along its sides and pale blotches bordering the vertebral scales, as well as a variety of other pale spots and markings on the tail and head. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by its small size, the presence of a pale stripe along its sides, and the presence of pale blotches along its back. The species is nocturnal and
fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...
(adapted to living underground). It most likely feeds on earthworms, snakes, and legless lizards. The species lays eggs in clutches of four, unusually for its superfamily, where most species give birth to live young. The
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
currently classifies ''A. weberi'' as being data deficient due to a lack of information about its range and threats to the species; however, it may be threatened by
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
caused by logging and urbanisation.


Taxonomy and systematics

In 1890, the Dutch herpetologist Theodorus van Lidth de Jeude described the
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
''Anomalochilus weberi'' on the basis of a female specimen of the species from
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. He also described the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Anomalochilus'' in the same paper, creating it for the species. In 1901, the naturalist Charles Berg renamed the genus to '' Anomochilus'', as the name ''Anomalochilus'' was already in use for a genus of beetles. The specific name, ''weberi'', is in honor of German-Dutch zoologist Max Wilhelm Carl Weber van Bosse. ''A. weberi'' is one of three species in the dwarf pipesnake
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Anomochilus'', which is the only genus in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Anomochilidae. Anomochilidae is one of three families in the superfamily Uropeltoidea, along with
Uropeltidae The Uropeltidae, also Common name, commonly known as shield-tail snakes, shield-tailed snakes or earth snakes, are a Family (biology), family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derive ...
and Cylindrophiidae. However, genetic studies indicate that Cylindrophiidae is
paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...
(not containing all the descendants of a common ancestor) with respect to Anomochilidae, and some authorities merge Anomochilidae into Cylindrophiidae.


Description

Like other species in its genus, ''A. weberi'' is cylindrical with a small, rounded head and short, conical tail. It is the smallest ''Anomochilus'' snake, with a total length of . The head is continuous with the neck, and, despite the
fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...
(adapted to living underground) nature of the species, the snout has no reinforcements to aid in burrowing. The dorsum is smooth, with slightly larger scales than the underside. The species also completely lacks the left lung. It has a completely black underside and a black upperside with pale stripes along its sides and pale blotches bordering the vertebral scales. The prefrontal scales and anal scales are whitish, and the underside of the tail has a whitish band that forms a half-ring around the tail. The undersides have two rows of irregular white spots and the very tip of the tail also has two small pale spots. When preserved in alcohol, the species' color changes to mainly brown. ''A. weberi'' has 19 rows of scales (excluding
ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...
) in the middle of the body. It has 242–248 midventral scales (scales down the middle of the underside) and 6–8 subcaudal scales (scales between the
cloaca A cloaca ( ), : cloacae ( or ), or vent, is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive (rectum), reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, cartilagin ...
and tip of the tail). The species can be differentiated from other snakes outside of its genus by its small head and eyes, the large scales on the forehead, a single
nasal scale In reptiles, the nasal scale refers to the scale that encloses the nostril. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . Somet ...
bordering the second supralabial scale, the absence of the loreal and preocular scales, a lone postocular scale, and the lack of a mental groove. The species is the only ''Anomochilus'' on Sumatra, but co-occurs with both of its congeners on Borneo. It differs from both ''A. monticola'' and ''A. leonardi'' by the presence of pale stripes along its sides and a paired parietofrontal scale on the forehead.


Distribution and habitat

''A. weberi'' is currently only known from the
Greater Sunda Islands The Greater Sunda Islands (Indonesian language, Indonesian and Malay language, Malay: ''Kepulauan Sunda Besar'') are four tropical islands situated within the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean. The islands, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi and S ...
in the Indonesian Archipelago, where it occurs on Sumatra and Borneo. On Borneo, it is found near Kutai,
Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...
; on Sumatra, it is known from the Padang Highlands and Mount Talakmau in western Sumatra. It is thought to inhabit montane and lowland dipterocarp forests at altitudes of , and like other species in its genus, is fossorial.


Ecology and conservation

''A. weberi'' is nocturnal and fossorial. The ecology of the species is poorly studied, and little is known about its diet and reproductive habits. The absence of the mental groove suggests that the snake feeds on elongate
invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum ...
like earthworms and perhaps on small, slim vertebrates like other snakes and legless lizards. The species lays eggs in clutches of four; this is unique within the superfamily Uropeltoidea, the rest of which give birth to live young. The species is currently classified as being data deficient by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
due to a lack of information about its range, population size, and threats affecting it. It may be threatened by
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
caused by logging and urbanisation.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1938497 Anomochilidae Reptiles of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Fauna of Sumatra Reptiles of Borneo Reptiles described in 1890