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USGS · 70009621

The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands

Addison H. Wynn·Robert P. Reynolds·Donald W. Buden·Marjorie Falanruw·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.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 0.615222552406841° to 18.22935133838668° latitude; 124.892578125° to 172.001953125° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Addison H. Wynn, Robert P. Reynolds, Donald W. Buden, Marjorie Falanruw, Brian Lynch. 2012-01-25. The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3172.1.3

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