Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Powell, Robert

Thomas, Richard

English

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyEarth and Planetary Science

Texas ScholarWorks

r-' REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: SERPENTES: TYPHLOPIDAE Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Thomas, R. and R. Powell. 1995. Typhlops capitulatus. Typhlops capitulatus Richmond Typhlops capitulatus Richmond, 1964:2. Type-locality, "Manneville, [DCpartement de I'Ouest], Haiti, at the north- west end of Lake Saumbtre." Qpe-specimen, Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) 62636, an adult (sex un- known) collected by A.S. Rand and J. Lazell on 10 August 1960 (not examined by authors). Typhlops capitulatus capitulatus: Thomas, 1965438. Typhlops capitulata: Schwartz and Thomas, 1975: 196. Typhlops capitulata capitulata: Schwartz and Thomas, 1975: 196. Content. No subspecies are recognized. Definition. Typhlops capitulatus is a moderately-sized blind snake characterized by (see Thomas, 1976 and 1989, for com- plete explanations of characters): (1) tapered head and a some- what flattened, rounded to weakly pointed head; (2) rostral broad in dorsal aspect (RWIRL 0.48-0.63). clavate to oval, not flared on apex, labial margin slightly flared; (3) preocular angle 30- 50". apex round to angulate, lower portion coritacting only the 3rd of upper labials; (4) ocular length about 314 height, sinuos- ity 0.30-0.13; (5) rostronasal pattern calyculate to weakly di- vergent; (6) postoculars 2, rarely one, and cycloid; (7) 1st pari- r' eta1 standard, width spanning 2 scale rows (occasionally ab- sent); (8) 2nd parietal standard, width spanning 2 scale rows (occasionally absent); (9) TL to 267 mm; ( 1  0) TUtail length is 29-46; (1 1 )  TUmidbody diameter 25-36; (12) middorsal scales number 358-457; (13) scale rows 20-20; (14) coloration is unicolor pale to dark reddish brown, fading slightly ventrally or with irregular midventral unpigmented areas, head pale and with distinct unpigmented areas around the mouth and vent; (15) rectal caecum present, but small; (16) hemipenes expanded (but none completely everted); (17) cranium pronouncedly tapered, width across prefrontals 77-87% of width across prootics; (18) pre- maxilla narrow, about 30% of width across prefrontals, not pro- tuberant, inset between nasals in a shallow V, posteroventral edges angled forward and meeting the blade in an angular junc- tion, blade narrow; (19) nasals elongate with no lateral angles, bordering the narial opening; (20) septomaxilla without sliver, anterior portion not tapered; (21) frontal-parietal suture V- shaped, sinuous; (22) frontal without an anterior blade- or wedgelike process; (23) optic foramen canalicular; (24) postor- bital process of parietal very reduced or absent; (25) parietal without temporal ridges; (26) lappet of prootic blunt, extending beyond a very short tongue, tongue not extending to parietal; (27) supraoccipitals fused with exoccipitals; (28) exoccipitals fused with prootics; (29) angular not sliverlike; (30) dorsal pro- cess of quadrate with a pronounced hook; (31) atlantal hypapophysis tablike, 4-5 total hypapophyses; (32) hyoid with a Y-shaped basihyal having a short entoglossal process, ceratobranchials long; (33) pelvis absent or extremely reduced to small bones of indeterminate homology. Map. Distribution of Typhlops capitulatus (modified from Schwartz and Henderson, 1991). The large circle marks the type-locality, dots indicate other records. Figure. Head of the holotype of Typhlops capitulatus (MCZ 62636) (from Richmond, 1964). areas around the mouth and vent), fading slightly on the venter and distinctly paler on the head. Descriptions. In addition to the original of Richmond (1964). Thomas (1 976) and Schwartz and Henderson ( 1  99 1 )  provided descriptions of the species. Illustrations. Line drawings of the head are in Richmond (1964). of a flattened rostral scale in Thomas (1965), and of the septomaxilla, the quadrate, the cranium, postnasal configura- tion, and the head in Thomas (1976). The latter also provided line histograms of middorsal counts. Distribution.The species is known from xeric and mesic habi- tats in the Plaine de Cul de Sac and west along the Tiburon Peninsula to the Miragodne area, and on the south coast east and southwest of Jacmel. The range has been illustrated in Rich- mond (1964), Thomas (1976). and Schwartz and Henderson (1991). Fossil Record. None. P Diagnosis. This blind snake may be distinguished from its Pertinent Literature. In addition to the original description congeners by the following combination of characters: maxi- of Richmond (1964). discussion in Thomas (1965), and the sys- mum TL 267 mm, TUtail length 29-46, TUmidbody diameter tematic treatise of Thomas (1976). the species is included in 46-57, middorsal scales 358-457, scale rows 20-20, and colora- checklists and guides by Schwartz and Thomas (1 975), tion pale unicolor brown to dark reddish brown or with irregu- Henderson and Schwartz (1984). Henderson et al. ( 1984), lar, midventral, unpigmented areas (in addition to unpigmented Schwartz and Henderson (1985, 1988), and Powell et al. (1996). Schwartz (1971, 1980) characterized this species as a South Is- land form. Thomas (1 989) discussed relationships with Antillean congeners. SENDVS (1990) provided an index of habitats in the Dominican Republic. Schwartz and Henderson (1991) sum- marized the literature on natural history. Etymology. The name capitulatus is from the Latin "having a small head" (Richmond, 1964). Remark. Frank and Ramus (1995) proposed the common name "Richmond's worm snake" for this species. Literature Cited Frank, N. and E. Ramus. 1995. A complete guide to scientific and common names of reptiles and amphibians of the world. NG Publ., Inc., Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Henderson, R.W. and A. Schwartz. 1984. A guide to the identi- fication of the amphibians and reptiles of Hispaniola. Mil- waukee Pub. Mus. Spec. Publ. Biol. Geol. (4):l-70. -- , ,and S.J. InchAustegui. 1984. Guia para la identificacidn de 10s anfibios y reptiles de la Hispaniola. Mus. Nac. Hist. Nat. Ser. Mono. (1):l-128. Powell, R., R.W. Henderson, K. Adler, and H.A. Dundee. 1996. An annotated checklist of West Indian amphibians and rep- tiles, p. 51-93. In R. Powell and R.W. Henderson (eds.), Contributions to West Indian herpetology: a tribute to Albert Schwartz. SSAR, Ithaca, New York. Richmond, N.D. 1964. The blind snakes (Typhlops) of Haiti with descriptions of three new species. Breviora (202):l-12. Schwartz, A. 1971. A systematic review of the Hispaniolan snake Genus Hypsirhynchus. Stud. Fauna Cura~ao  Carib. Isl. 35: 63-94. --. 1980. The herpetogeography of Hispaniola, West Indies. Stud. Fauna Cura~ao Carib. Isl. 61:86-127. - and R.W. Henderson. 1985. A guide to the identification of the amphibians and reptiles of the West Indies exclusive of Hispaniola. Milwaukee Pub. Mus., Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin. - and -. 1988. West Indian amphibians and reptiles: a check- list. Milwaukee Pub. Mus. Contr. Biol. Geol. (74):l-264. - and -. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles of the West Indies: descriptions, distributions, and natural history. Univ. Florida Press, Gainesville. - and R. Thomas. 1975. A check-list of West Indian amphibi- ans and reptiles. Carnegie Mus. Nat. Hist. Spec. Publ. (1): 1-216. SENDVS (Secretaria de Estado de Agricultura/Departamento de Vida Silvestre). 1990. La diversidad biol6gica en la Re- p6blica Dorninicana: reporte preparado por el Departa- mento de Vida Silvestre para el Servicio Alemfin de Coo- peracidn Social-TCchnica y Fondo Mundial para la Na- turaleza (WWD-US). Apendices. Sec. Estado Agric., SURENNDVS. Sto. Domingo, Rep6blica Dorninicana. Thomas, R. 1965. A new species of Typhlops from the Barahona Peninsula of Hispaniola. Copeia 1965:436-439. -. 1976. Systematics of Antillean blind snakes of the genus Typhlops (Serpentes:Typhlopidae). Ph.D. Diss., Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge. -. 1989. The relationships of Antillean Typhlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) and the description of three new Hispaniolan species, p. 409-432. In C.A. Woods (ed.), Biogeography of the West Indies: past, present, and future. Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, Florida. Richard Thomas, Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR 00931, and Robert Powell, Department of Natural Sciences, Avila College, Kansas City, MO 64145. Primary editor for this account, Larry David Wilson Published 22 December 1995 and Copyright O 1995 by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 

Typhlops capitulatus

https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/2152/44785/1/0618_Typhlops_capitulatus.pdf

Typhlops capitulatus

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Texas ScholarWorks