Liotyphlops ternetzii

Liotyphlops ternetzii, also known commonly as Ternetz's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Anomalepididae.^[1][2][3] The species is endemic to South America.^[1][2]

Liotyphlops ternetzii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Anomalepididae
Genus:	Liotyphlops
Species:	L. ternetzii
Binomial name
Liotyphlops ternetzii (Boulenger, 1896)
Synonyms[2]
Helminthophis ternetzii Boulenger, 1896 Helminthophis incertus Amaral, 1924 Helminthophis beui Amaral, 1924 Helminthophis collenettei Parker, 1928 Liotyphlops incertus – Vanzolini, 1948 Liotyphlops ternetzi [sic] – H.M. Smith & Grant, 1958 Liotyphlops ternetzii — J. Peters & Orejas-Miranda, 1970 Liotyphlops ternetzii – Dixon & Kofron, 1983

Etymology

The specific name, ternetzii, is in honor of ichthyologist Carl Ternetz (born 1870).^[4]

Geographic range

L. ternetzii is found in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil.^[1][2] The record from Suriname (as Liotyphlops incertus) is questionable.^[2]

Habitat and ecology

The natural habitats of L. ternetzii are grassland, savanna, and gallery forest, at altitudes of 200–1,000 m (660–3,280 ft). It is a fossorial species that preys predominantly upon insects, particularly ants and termites.^[1]

Description

L. ternetzii measure 88–413 mm (3.5–16.3 in) in total length (including tail).^[2]

Reproduction

L. ternetzii is oviparous.^[1][2] An adult female may lay a clutch of 2–7 eggs.^[1]

References

1. Nogueira, C. de C.; Williams, J.; Fitzgerald, L.; Arzamendia, V.; Scrocchi, G. (2019). "Liotyphlops ternetzii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T203201A2762069. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T203201A2762069.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Liotyphlops ternetzii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 27 October 2023.
3. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Liotyphlops ternetzii, p. 263).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III. ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Helminthophis ternetzii, new species, p. 584).
• Dixon JR, Kofron CP (1983). "The Central and South American Anomalepid [sic] Snakes of the Genus Liotyphlops ". Amphibia-Reptilia 4 (2): 241–264. (Liotyphlops ternetzii, p. 255).
• Freiberg MA (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Liotyphlops ternetzii, p. 86).
• Marra Santos FJ (2023). "A new species of the genus Liotyphlops Peters, 1881 (Serpentes, Anomalepididae) from Colombia, and the synonymization of Liotyphlops beui (Amaral, 1924) with Liotyphlops ternetzii (Boulenger, 1896)". ZooKeys 1146: 87–114.