''Xerotyphlops vermicularis'', the European blind snake, European worm snake, Eurasian blind snake, or Eurasian worm snake, is a species of
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
in the genus ''
Xerotyphlops
''Xerotyphlops'' is a genus of snakes in the family Typhlopidae.
Distribution
The five species in this genus ''Xerotyphlops'' are found in the Palearctic.. www.reptile-database.org.
Species
The following species are recognized as being va ...
.'' Despite its common name, the range of the European blind snake ranges from the
Balkan Peninsula
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...
, the
Aegean Islands, and
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
.
The common name refers to how it is the only blindsnake of the genus ''Typhlops'' naturally found in Europe. The only other blindsnake found in Europe is the brahminy blindsnake, or "flowerpot snake," ''
Ramphotyphlops braminus
''Indotyphlops braminus'', commonly known as the brahminy blind snake and other names, is a non-venomous blind snake species found mostly in Africa and Asia, but has been introduced in many other parts of the world. They are completely fossoria ...
'', where specimens have been discovered lurking in the soil at the
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
.
See also
*
List of typhlopid species and subspecies
This is a list of all genera, species and subspecies of the family Typhlopidae, otherwise referred to as typical blind snakes, or typhlopids. It follows the taxonomy currently provided by ITIS, which is based on the continuing work of Dr. Roy McD ...
References
External links
*
*
vermicularis
Reptiles described in 1820
{{Scolecophidia-stub
Snakes of Jordan