''Afrotyphlops obtusus'', also known as the slender blind snake or southern gracile 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
Typhlopidae
The Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes. They are found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and all mainland Australia and various islands. The rostral scale overhangs the mouth to form a shovel-like burrowing str ...
family. 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
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
.
[
]
Geographic range
It is found in southern Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
, northern Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, and eastern Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
.[
]
Description
Dorsally, it is dark brown, with the base of each scale paler. Ventrally, it is pale brown to cream-colored. Maximum snout-vent length (SVL) is . The scales are arranged in 24 or 26 rows around the body, and there are more than 300 scales in the vertebral row.[Branch, Bill. 2004. ''Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa'', Third Revised edition, Second impression. Ralph Curtis Books. Sanibel Island, Florida. . p. 54.]
Snout very prominent, rounded. Nostrils located inferiorly (ventrally). Rostral large, more than half as broad as the head; portion of rostral visible from below as long as broad. Nasal semidivided, the cleft proceeding from the first upper labial. Preocular much narrower than the nasal or the ocular, in contact with the second and third upper labials. Four upper labials. Eyes not distinguishable. Prefrontals and supraoculars broad. Diameter of body 43 to 50 times in the total length. Tail broader than long, ending in a spine.[ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ...'' Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. p. 38.]
Habitat
This 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), ...
prefers loose humic
Humic substances (HS) are colored relatively recalcitrant organic compounds naturally formed during long-term decomposition and transformation of biomass residues. The color of humic substances varies from bright yellow to light or dark brown lead ...
soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
in forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s.Miombo
Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located in central and southern tropical Africa. It includes three woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) chara ...
woodland, and even in urban compost heaps.[
]
References
Further reading
* Peters, W. 1865. ''Einen ferneren Nachtrag zu seiner Abhandlung über Typhlopina''. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Volume 1865, pp. 259–263.
obtusus
Snakes of Africa
Reptiles of Malawi
Reptiles of Mozambique
Reptiles of Zimbabwe
Reptiles described in 1865
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters
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