Leptotyphlops reticulatus

Published, First, 2007, A revision of the genus Leptotyphlops in northeastern Africa and southwestern Arabia (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae), Zootaxa 1408, pp. 1-78 : 50-51

Leptotyphlops reticulatus species group

Leptotyphlops boulengeri ( mean based on three females, MCZ 40084–85 , 40087 )

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 18.7%, overlapping heart by 0.07 snout-heart gap, heart 4.3% (MP = 19.7%), snout-heart interval 21.8%, heart-liver gap 7.0%, liver lobes multipartite, right liver 47.5% (MP = 52.6%) with 41.0 (33–47) segments, left liver 46.0% (MP = 50.8%) with 34.3 (32–36) segments, anterior (left) liver extension –0.02, posterior liver tail 0.05, left liver = 0.97 right liver, liver-gall bladder overlap 2.1%, gall bladder 1.2% (MP = 74.9%) wedged between a caudal, transversely oriented pancreas (2.0%) and a small cranial juxtasplenic body (1.0%) and spleen (1.0%), pancreas lacking splenic limb, right ovary 3.6% (MP = 82.5%) with 1.7 (1–2) ova and 7.3 (4–9) follicles, left ovary 3.9% (MP = 85.1%) with 2.0 (1–3) ova and 4.3 (3–5) follicles, right adrenal MP = 83.5%, left adrenal MP = 85.4%, kidneys smooth, segmented and compact, individual segments also with creases, right kidney 4.4% (MP = 87.4%) with 5.0 (4–6) segments, left kidney 4.8% (MP = 89.7%) with 4.3 (4–5) segments, kidney-vent interval 14.9%, kidney-vent gap 7.8%, kidney overlap 0.32, rectal caecum 2.0%, bulbous and 2–3 times the diameter of adjacent small intestine, caecum-vent interval 9.8%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 20.5% (MP = 11.6%), estimated number of tracheal rings 139.3 (126–152) or 66.5 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 20.0%, tracheal entry paraterminal with “anterior lobe” that is fused to trachea and lacking a lumen, cardiac lung 1.9% with several large faveoli but lacking anterior pocket, right lung 39.3% (MP = 41.5%), broad throughout its length, cranial 0.15–0.35 with 2–3 layers of rounded faveoli, caudal 0.65–0.85 reticulate with network of trabeculae, posterior tip 61.2%, bronchus 17.1%, posterior tip of bronchus 38.9%, bronchus = 0.45 right lung, trachea-bronchus 37.6% (MP = 20.1%), total lung 41.2% (MP = 40.6%).

Reproduction. MCZ 40084 (SVL 122 mm, MBD 4 mm) with 2/2 vitellogenic ova (5 x 1.5 mm, 2.5 x 1 mm, and two 2 x 1.5 mm) and 3/4 follicles on 7–12 May 1934 . MCZ 40085 (SVL 185 mm, MBD 7 mm) with 3/2 ova (4.5 x 1.5 mm, 2.5 x 1.25 mm, 2 x 1 mm / 4 x 1.5 mm, 2.5 x 1 mm) and 5/9 follicles on 7 May 1934 . MCZ 40087 (SVL 154 mm, MBD 5.5 mm) with 2 large eggs (9.5 x 3 mm /8.5 x 3.5 mm) on 7–12 May 1934 .

Leptotyphlops drewes i ( based on female holotype, CAS 85756)

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 16.0%, sternohyoideus-heart gap 0.02, heart 4.6% (MP = 18.7%), snout-heart interval 21.0%, heart-liver gap 7.3%, liver lobes multipartite, right liver 37.8% (MP = 47.1%) with 34 segments, left liver 36.3% (MP = 47.5%) with 39 segments, liver nearly symmetrical, anterior liver extension 0.03, posterior liver tail 0.01, left liver = 0.96 right liver, liver overlaps gall bladder gap by 0.4%, gall bladder 1.5% (MP = 66.4%), right ovary 3.1% (MP = 77.5%), left ovary 2.3% (MP = 79.4%), right adrenal MP = 78.6%, left adrenal MP = 79.8%, right kidney 5.7% (MP = 83.8%), left kidney 5.7% (MP = 86.1%), kidney overlap (0.43), kidney-vent interval 19.1%, kidney-vent gap 11.1%, rectal caecum 1.9%, maximum diameter equal to that of adacent small intestine, caecum-vent interval 14.1%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 19.1% (MP = 11.5%) with an estimated 152 tracheal rings or 83.0 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 18.7%, cardiac lung 2.3%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 27.1% (MP = 34.5%) with several tiers of faveoli along cranial third of lung, followed by a single tier of ediculae along medial fifth of lung, and trabecular parenchyma along caudal half of lung, posterior tip at 48.1% with terminal 3.8% forming a double folded tail, bronchus 18.7%, posterior tip of bronchus 39.7%, bronchus = 0.69 right lung, trachea-bronchus 37.8% (MP = 20.8%), total lung 29.4% (MP = 33.4%).

Leptotyphlops reticulatus ( based on one female, BMNH 1954.1.12.77)

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 14.9%, lacking sternohyoideus-heart gap, heart 3.5% ( MP = 16.7%), snoutheart interval 18.5%, heart-liver gap 7.3%, liver lobes multipartite, right liver 29.6% ( MP = 40.6%) with 46 segments, left liver 25.5% ( MP = 41.0%) with 37 segments, anterior liver extension 0.08, posterior liver tail 0.06, left liver = 0.86 right liver, liver-gall bladder gap 1.1%, gall bladder 1.4% ( MP = 57.2%), right ovary 2.7% ( MP = 63.3%) with one egg (28.0 x 4.5 mm), one vitellogenic ovum (4.5 x 1.5 mm) and 10 nonvitellogenic follicles, left ovary 3.3% ( MP = 78.8%) with one egg (26.0 x 4.5 mm), 2 ova (5.5 x 1.5, 5.0 x 1.5 mm) and 6 follicles, right adrenal MP = 71.1%, left adrenal MP = 78.8%, right kidney 2.7% ( MP = 96.5%), left kidney 1.9% ( MP = 96.3%), kidneys symmetrical with complete overlap (1.13), kidney-vent interval 4.9%, kidney-vent gap 2.7%, rectal caecum absent .

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 17.1% (MP = 9.9%) with an estimated 187 tracheal rings or 104.2 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 17.7%, cardiac lung 0.8%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 27.2% (MP = 32.1%) with two tiers of diamond-shaped faveoli along cranial 0.30 lung, followed by a single tier of ediculae along next 0.25 lung, and trabecular parenchyma along next 0.15 lung and caudal 0.15 lung with a saccular portion of 0.15 in between the two (i.e., mid-portion of caudal lung avascular), posterior tip 45.7%, bronchus 15.5%, posterior tip of bronchus 34.0%, bronchus = 0.57 right lung, trachea-bronchus 32.6% (MP = 17.7%), total lung 28.0% (MP = 31.7%).

Reproduction. Wallach (1998b) estimated the clutch size as 8. The specimen (SVL 184 mm, MBD 3.5 mm) with three sizes of ova: 1/1 large eggs (26 x 4.5 mm /28 x 4.5 mm), 2/1 vitellogenic ova (5.5 x 1.5 mm, 5 x 1.5 mm /4.5 x 1.5 mm), and 6/10 follicles.