Grypotyphlops acutus

Grypotyphlops acutus, also known as the beaked worm snake, beaked blind snake, or beak-nosed worm snake, is a harmless blind snake species endemic to peninsular India. It is the only species in the genus Grypotyphlops. No subspecies are currently recognized.^[3]

Beaked blind snake
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Typhlopidae
Genus:	Grypotyphlops Peters, 1881
Species:	G. acutus
Binomial name
Grypotyphlops acutus (A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844)
Synonyms
Onychocephalus acutus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1884 Typhlops Russellii Gray, 1845 Onychocephalus westermanni Lütken, 1862 Onychocephalus acutus - Günther, 1864 T[yphlops]. excipiens Jan In Jan & Sordelli, 1865 Onychocephalus malabaricus Beddome In Günther, 1875 Gr[ypotyphlops]. acutus - Peters, 1881 Typhlops acutus - F. Müller, 1885 Typhlops acutus - Boulenger, 1893 Gryptotyphlops acutus - Boulenger, 1893 Typhlops psittacus Werner, 1903 Typhlops acuta - Constable, 1949 Typhlops acutus - Rajendran, 1967 [Typhlina] acutus - Whitaker, 1978 Typhlops acutus - Murthy, 1983 Rhinotyphlops acutus - Wallach, 1994[2] Letheobia acutus (Duméril & Bibron, 1844)[3]

Taxonomy

Grypotyphlops is thought to group with the African typhlopids in the genera Afrotyphlops, Letheobia, and Rhinotyphlops, being the sister group to the latter two and having dispersed from Africa to the Indian subcontinent during the Paleogene. This contrasts with the other blind snakes in the Indian subcontinent, which are thought to have either mainland Asian ancestry (Indotyphlops and Argyrophis) or be descended from ancient Gondwanan endemics of Insular India (Gerrhopilus).^[4]

Geographic range

This species is found throughout peninsular India south of the Ganges and Rajputana basins. The type locality given is "inconnue" (French for unknown).^[2]

References

1. Srinivasulu, B.; Srinivasulu, C.; Vijayakumar, S.P.; Ganesan, S.R.; Madala, M. (2013). "Grypotyphlops acutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T172598A1349131. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172598A1349131.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
3. Grypotyphlops acutus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 February 2020.
4. Sidharthan, Chinta; Karanth, K. Praveen (2021-04-01). "India's biogeographic history through the eyes of blindsnakes- filling the gaps in the global typhlopoid phylogeny". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 157: 107064. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107064. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 33387646. S2CID 230282291.

Further reading

• Boulenger, G.A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.
• Duméril, A.M.C. & Bibron, G. 1844. Erpetologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol.6. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris.
• Wallach, Van 1994. The status of the Indian endemic Typhlops acutus (Duméril and Bibron) and the identity of Typhlops psittacus Werner (Reptilia, Serpentes, Typhlopidae). Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique Biologie. Vol. 64, pp. 209–229.