The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands
Zootaxa
By: Addison H. Wynn, Robert P. Reynolds, Donald W. Buden, Marjorie Falanruw, and Brian Lynch
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Abstract
Two new blind snakes in the genus Ramphotyphlops are described from Ulithi (R. hatmaliyeb sp. nov.) and Ant Atoll (R. adocetus sp. nov.) in the Caroline Islands, the first blind snake species known from Micronesia east of Palau (excluding Ramphotyphlops braminus). Both species are unusual in being known only from small, low-lying atolls. They can be distinguished from other Ramphotyphlops by the combination of 22 scale rows over the length of the body; a wedge-shaped snout, without a keratinized keel; and a broad, pyriform (R. adocetus) or ovate (R. hatmaliyeb) rostral scale.
Suggested Citation
Wynn, A.H., Reynolds, R.P., Buden, D.W., Falanruw, M., Lynch, B., 2012, The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands: Zootaxa, v. 3172, no. 1, p. 39-54, https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3172.1.3.
ISSN: 1175-5334 (online)
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands |
| Series title | Zootaxa |
| DOI | 10.11646/zootaxa.3172.1.3 |
| Volume | 3172 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication Date | January 25, 2012 |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Magnolia Press |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 16 p. |
| First page | 39 |
| Last page | 54 |
| Country | Micronesia |
| Other Geospatial | Caroline Islands |