Rhinotyphlops schinzi
Rhinotyphlops schinzi, commonly known as Schinz's beaked blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.[2][3]
| Rhinotyphlops schinzi | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Typhlopidae |
| Genus: | Rhinotyphlops |
| Species: | R. schinzi |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinotyphlops schinzi (Boettger, 1887) | |
| Synonyms | |
Etymology
The specific name, schinzi, is in honor of "Herr Dr. Hans Schinz", who collected the first specimens in 1884 and 1885 in the Kalahari Desert.[4] He should not be confused with Swiss naturalist Heinrich Rudolf Schinz (1777-1861).
Geographic range
R. schinzi is found from Namibia and neighboring Botswana south to Calvinia and Kenhardt in Northern Cape, South Africa.[5]
Description
The coloration of R. schinzi varies from yellowish to flesh-colored. The dorsum is marked with blue-black to reddish-brown blotches which may appear as crossbars. The venter and sides of the body are unmarked.
Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of 28 cm (11 inches).
The dorsal scales are arranged in 22-26 rows. There are more than 400 dorsal scales in the vertebral series.[5]
The snout is strongly hooked, with the nostrils located below the sharp cutting edge. The rostral is large, but not extending as far as the eyes. There are four upper labials. The nasal is semidivided, the cleft proceeding from the first upper labial. A preocular is present, which is narrower than the nasal or the ocular, and in contact with the third upper labial. The eyes are distinct. The upper head scales are larger than the body scales. The diameter of body 45 times in the total length. The tail is as long as broad, ending in a spine.[6]
Habitat
The habitat of R. schinzi is arid savannah and semidesert.[5]
References
- "Rhinotyphlops schinzi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- 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).
- "Rhinotyphlops". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
- Boettger (1887).
- 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 schinzi, pp. 53-54 + Plate 39).
- 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 schinzi, p. 47).
Further reading
- Boettger O (1887). "Zweiter Beitrag zur Herpetologie Südwest- und Süd-Afrikas ". Bericht über die Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main 1887: 135–173. [Typhlops (Onychocephalus) schinzi, new species, pp. 154–156 + Plate V, figures 1a-1e, 2]. (in German and Latin).