Family Leptotyphlopidae

Family Leptotyphlopidae (12 genera, 116 species), also known as “slender blind snakes” are one of five living blind snake clades. They distribute in tropics and subtropics of Africa (excluding most of the Sahara) and the Americas, Temperate Zone in the American west to southern Utah, and southwest Asia. Their eyes are reduced to small eyespots concealed under scale. Thinnest-bodied make them unique in scolecophidians. They are small snakes for only ranging from 0.15 to 0.46 m in size. Teeth are reduced to four or five only locating on mandible and absent on maxillaries in these snakes. Pelvic remnants are evident in the trunk musculature and left oviduct is degenerated among these species.

Leptotyphlopids are fossorial snakes that habitat in various regions from semidesert to tropical lowland rainforest. They mainly prey on soft-bodied invertebrates, whereas, some are exclusive termite predators. These termite diet specialized snakes have evolved a secretion to avert potential attacking of soldier termites and ants. Slender blind snakes are all oviparous.

We estimated the emergence of Leptotyphlopidae at ~110 Mya using fossil calibrations. Analysis support Typhlopidae is the sister group of Leptotyphlopidae.

Reference:

Zug, G.R., Vitt, L., and Caldwell, J.P. Herpetology: an introductory biology of amphibians and reptiles[M]. 32 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7BY, UK, Academic press, 2014:602-603.

Adalsteinsson, S. A., Branch, W. R., Trape, S., Vitt, L. J., and Hedges, S. B. Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the Family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata). Zootaxa[J]. 2009, 2244: 1–50.

Hahn, D. E., and Wallach, V. Comments on the systematics of Old World Leptotyphlops (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae), with description of a new species. Hamadryad[J]. 1998, 23: 50–62.