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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Leptotyphlopidae
Bibliography of the genus Leptotyphlops
Biodiversity of the family Leptotyphlopidae








Genus
Leptotyphlops

Typical Thread Snakes, (African Thread Snakes)

Eigentliche Fadenschlangen

Egentlige Trådslanger

1843 Leptotyphlops Fitzinger (type species: Typhlops nigricans Schlegel 1839)
1845 Glauconia Gray (type species: Typhlops nigricans Schlegel 1839; syn. Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges 2009)
Contents: 22 species, of which 6 (27.3%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: See under family. Previously included Habrophallos collaris.
Distribution: E. & S. Africa.
Reported from: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua, Santa Carolina]), Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Northern Cape, Western Cape), South Sudan, Tanzania (incl. Mafia, Pemba), Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Leptotyphlops aethiopicus

Ethiopian Thread Snake

Gewöhnliche Äthiopische Fadenschlange

Almindelig Etiopisk Trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops aethiopicus Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Ethiopia, Kenya.


Leptotyphlops conjunctus

Cape Thread Snake, Common Thread Snake, Eastern Thread Snake, (Jan's All-black Thread Snake, Jan's Thread Snake)

Kap-Fadenschlange

Kap-trådslange

1861 Stenostoma conjunctum Jan
Glauconia conjuncta Boulenger 1890
Leptotyphlops conjunctus Loveridge 1933
Leptotyphlops scutifrons conjunctus Broadley & Broadley 1999
1876 Stenostoma groutii Cope (Hahn 1980)
1901 Glauconia lepezi Boulenger
Leptotyphlops conjunctus lepezi Laurent 1956
Leptotyphlops lepezi Broadley 1998

Remarks: Now restricted to Lesotho, South Africa and Eswatini (Broadley & Broadley 1999). Previously included incognitus. Regarded as a subspecies of scutifrons by Broadley & Broadley (1999). Revalidated as a separate species by Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges (2009).
Distribution: Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Leptotyphlops distanti

Transvaal Thread Snake, (Distant's Thread Snake)

Transvaal-Fadenschlange

Transvaal-trådslange

1892 Glauconia distanti Boulenger
Leptotyphlops distanti Loveridge 1929
Leptotyphlops conjuncta distanti Bogert 1940

Remarks: Revalidated as a separate species by Broadley & Watson (1976).
Distribution: Mozambique, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province).


Leptotyphlops emini

Karagwe Thread Snake, (Emin Pasha's Thread Snake, Emin's Thread Snake)

Karagwe-Fadenschlange

Karagwe-trådslange

1890 Glauconia emini Boulenger
Stenostoma emini Tornier 1896
Leptotyphlops emini Loveridge 1933

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of nigricans (e.g., Broadley & Watson 1976). Revalidated by Meirte (1992) and Broadley & Wallach (1996). Previously included pembae (e.g., McDiarmid, Campbell & Touré 1999). Records from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zaire (e.g., Broadley 1998; Spawls, Howell, Drewes & Ashe 2002) refer to other species (see Broadley & Wallach 2007).
Distribution: Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.


Leptotyphlops howelli

Mchungu Forest Thread Snake, (Howell's Thread Snake)

Mchungu-Fadenschlange

Mchungu-trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops howelli Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops incognitus

Incognito Thread Snake

Inkognito-Fadenschlange

Inkognito-trådslange

1976 Leptotyphlops conjunctus incognitus Broadley & Watson
Leptotyphlops incognitus Broadley & Broadley 1999

Remarks: Old records from Namibia are now assigned to scutifrons (Broadley & Broadley 1999), however, the species may be present in eastern Caprivi (Griffin 2003).
Distribution: Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua, Santa Carolina]), South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province), Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Leptotyphlops jacobseni

Lydenburg Thread Snake, (Jacobsen's Thread Snake)

Lydenburg-Fadenschlange

Lydenburg-trådslange

1999 Leptotyphlops jacobseni Broadley & Broadley

Distribution: South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Leptotyphlops kafubi

Shaba Thread Snake, Katanga Thread Snake

Shaba-Fadenschlange

Shaba-trådslange

1919 Glauconia kafubi Boulenger
Leptotyphlops kafubi Broadley & Broadley 1999

Remarks: Regarded as a synonym of nigricans by Broadley & Watson (1976). Revalidated by Broadley & Broadley (1999).
Distribution: Angola, Congo-Kinshasa, Zambia.


Leptotyphlops keniensis

Mount Kenya Thread Snake

Mount-Kenya-Fadenschlange

Mount Kenya-trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops keniensis Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops latirostris

Uvira Thread Snake

Uvira-Fadenschlange

Uvira-trådslange

1912 Glauconia latirostris Sternfeld
Leptotyphlops conjunctus latirostris Laurent 1956
Leptotyphlops latirostris Broadley & Wallach 2007

Remarks: Previously regarded as a subspecies of conjunctus (e.g., Hahn 1980). Revalidated by Broadley & Wallach (2007).
Distribution: Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa.


Leptotyphlops macrops

Large-eyed Thread Snake, Goggle-eyed Thread Snake

Grossaugen-Fadenschlange

Storøjet Trådslange

1996 Leptotyphlops macrops Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops mbanjensis

Mbanja Thread Snake

Mbanja-Fadenschlange

Mbanja-trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops mbanjensis Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops merkeri

Mount Kilimanjaro Thread Snake, (Merker's Thread Snake)

Kilimanjaro-Fadenschlange

Kilimanjaro-trådslange

1909 Glauconia merkeri Werner
Leptotyphlops scutifrons merkeri Broadley & Watson 1976
Leptotyphlops merkeri Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges 2009

Remarks: Revalidated as a separate species by Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges (2009). Still listed as a synonym of scutifrons by Wallach, Williams & Boundy (2014).
Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops monticolus

Virunga Thread Snake

Virunga-Fadenschlange

Virunga-trådslange

1916 Glauconia monticola Chabanaud
Leptotyphlops monticolus Witte 1941

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of nigricans (e.g., Hahn 1980) or of emini (e.g., Broadley & Howell 1991). Revalidated by Broadley & Wallach (2007).
Distribution: Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda.


Leptotyphlops nigricans

South African Black Thread Snake, (Cape Worm Snake)

Südafrikanische Schwarze Fadenschlange

Sydafrikansk Sort Trådslange

1839 Typhlops nigricans Schlegel
Leptotyphlops nigricans Fitzinger 1843
Stenostoma nigricans Duméril & Bibron 1844
Glauconia nigricans Gray 1845

Remarks: Now restricted to South Africa (Broadley & Broadley 1999; Broadley & Wallach 2007; Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges 2009). Previously included populations now assigned to aethiopicus, emini, howelli, kafubi, keniensis, macrops, monticolus, mbanjensis, and pembae.
Distribution: South Africa (Eastern Cape, Western Cape).


Leptotyphlops nigroterminus

Black-tipped Thread Snake

Schwarzspitzige Fadenschlange

Sorttippet Trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops nigroterminus Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania.


Leptotyphlops pembae

Pemba Thread Snake

Pemba-Fadenschlange

Pemba-trådslange

1941 Leptotyphlops emini pembae Loveridge
Leptotyphlops nigricans pembae Broadley & Watson 1976
Leptotyphlops pembae Spawls, Howell, Drewes & Ashe 2002

Distribution: Tanzania (incl. Mafia, Pemba).


Leptotyphlops pitmani

Uganda Thread Snake, (Pitman's Thread Snake)

Ugandische Fadenschlange

Uganda-trådslange

2007 Leptotyphlops scutifrons pitmani Broadley & Wallach
Leptotyphlops pitmani Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges 2009

Remarks: Revalidated as a separate species by Adalsteinsson, Branch, Trape, Vitt & Hedges (2009). Still listed as a synonym of scutifrons by Wallach, Williams & Boundy (2014).
Distribution: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda.


Leptotyphlops pungwensis

Pungwe Thread Snake

Pungwe-Fadenschlange

Pungwe-trådslange

1997 Leptotyphlops pungwensis Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: Mozambique.


Leptotyphlops scutifrons

Zambezi Thread Snake, (Peter's Thread Snake)

Zambezi-Fadenschlange

Zambezi-trådslange

1854 Stenostoma scutifrons Peters
Glauconia scutifrons Boulenger 1890
Leptotyphlops scutifrons Fitzsimons 1935
1924 Glauconia okahandjana Ahl (Hahn 1980)

Remarks: Previously included merkeri and pitmani, and Namibiana latifrons.
Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Northern Cape), Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Leptotyphlops sylvicolus

Southern Forest Thread Snake, Forest Thread Snake

Südliche Wald-Fadenschlange

Sydlig Skov-trådslange

1997 Leptotyphlops sylvicolus Broadley & Wallach

Distribution: South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal).


Leptotyphlops telloi

Maputo Thread Snake, (Tello's Thread Snake)

Maputo-Fadenschlange

Maputo-trådslange

1976 Leptotyphlops telloi Broadley & Watson

Distribution: Eswatini, Mozambique.