Rhinotyphlops lalandei

Rhinotyphlops lalandei, known commonly as Delalande's beaked blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

Rhinotyphlops lalandei
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:	Rhinotyphlops
Species:	R. lalandei
Binomial name
Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Schlegel, 1839)
Synonyms[2]
Typhlops lalandei Schlegel, 1839 Onychcephalus delalandii A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844 Typhlops delalandii — Boulenger, 1893 Rhinotyphlops lalandei — Roux-Estève, 1974

Etymology

The specific name, lalandei, is in honor of French naturalist Pierre Antoine Delalande.^[3]

Description

R. lalandei is a slender, pinkish-grey, blind snake, which has a pointed nose that it uses for burrowing.

It may attain a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 35 cm (13+3⁄4 in). The dorsal scales are arranged in 26–30 rows around the body. There are more than 300 dorsal scales in the vertebral row.^[4]

The nostrils are located below the sharp horizontal cutting edge of the snout. The total length (including tail) is 35 to 50 times the diameter of the body. The tail is as broad as long, or broader than long, ending in a spine.^[5]

Geographic range

R. lalandei occurs throughout the eastern half of Southern Africa, as far south as Cape Town and with isolated populations in western parts such as Namibia.^[6][7]

Habitat

R. lalandei can be found in a variety of habitats including semidesert, savannah, coastal bush, and fynbos,^[4] at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft).^[1]

Reproduction

The species R. lalandei is oviparous. The female lays a clutch of 2–4 eggs. The hatchlings are flesh-colored.^[4]

References

1. Pietersen D, Verburgt L (2021). "Rhinotyphlos lalandei ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T22473430A120635786.en. Accessed on 11 November 2024.
2. Species Rhinotyphlops lalandei at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org
3. 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. (Rhinotyphlops lalandei, p. 149).
4. Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Rhinotyphlops lalandei, p. 53 + Plate 39).
5. Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Typhlops delalandii, p. 45).
6. 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).
7. "Rhinotyphlops". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.

Further reading

• Schlegel H (1839). Abbildungen neuer oder unvollständig bekannter Amphibien, nach der Natur oder dem Leben entworfen und mit einem erläuternden Texte begleitet. Düsseldorf: Arne & Co. xiv + 141 pp. (Typhlops lalandei, new species, p. 38). (in German).