''Leptotyphlops'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes, in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Leptotyphlopidae The Leptotyphlopidae (commonly called slender blind snakes or thread snakes) are a family of snakes found in North America, South America, Africa and Asia. All are fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites. Two subfamilie ...

. The genus is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

to and found throughout

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Eleven species have been moved to the genus ''

Trilepida ''Trilepida'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. Geographic range Species in the genus ''Trilepida'' are native to northern South America and Panama. Taxonomy All of the species in the genus ''Trilepida'' were previously place ...

'', and other species have been moved to the genera ''

Epacrophis ''Epacrophis'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops ''Leptotyphlops'' is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and ...

'', ''

Epictia ''Epictia'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is native to South America, Central America, and Mexico. Taxonomy Prior to 2009 all species of ''Epictia'' were placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. Species The genus ...

'', ''

Mitophis ''Mitophis'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. All members of this genus are endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti) ...

'', ''

Myriopholis ''Myriopholis'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. Most of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. Species The genus contains the following species: *'' Myriopholis adleri'' – Adler's worm snake *' ...

'', ''

Namibiana ''Namibiana'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. Species The genus contains the following species: * ''Namibiana gracilior'', slender threadsnake, slend ...

'', '' Rena'', ''

Siagonodon ''Siagonodon'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus contains four species, all of which were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. Species The genus ''Siagonodon'' contains the following species. www.reptile ...

'', ''

Tetracheilostoma ''Tetracheilostoma'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops''. The genus contains the following species:" ''Tetracheilostoma'' ". The Reptile Database. www.rept ...

'', and ''

Tricheilostoma ''Tricheilostoma'' is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Leptotyphlops ''Leptotyphlops'' is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes ...

''.

Description

Most species of ''Leptotyphlops'' look much like shiny

earthworms An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...

. 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 Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

of ''Leptotyphlops'' is

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

and

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes ( eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blat ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

Species

^T)

Type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

References

External links

*
iNaturalist page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2630951 Snake genera Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons