Letheobia rufescens (Chabanaud)

Wallach, Van, 2007, A review of East and Central African species of Letheobia Cope, revived from the synonymy of Rhinotyphlops Fitzinger, with descriptions of five new species (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), Zootaxa 1515, pp. 31-68 : 49-50

Letheobia rufescens (Chabanaud)

( Fig 5 C)

Oubangui gracile blind-snake

Typhlops rufescens Chabanaud 1917 , Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 22: 365, Figs. 4–6 . Type locality: Congo français [= Haut-Oubangui, Central African Republic], collected by J. Rouchet de Chazotte, 1908, holotype MNHN 1916.262. Typhlops vrydaghi Laurent 1956 , Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr. 53: 249. Type locality: Bambesa-Takpwo, Bas-Uele, Congo [= Democratic Republic of Congo] (03°23’N, 25°47’E, elevation 650 m), holotype MRAC 11949; Laurent 1962: 43. Rhinotyphlops rufescens – Roux-Estève 1974: 230, Fig. 167, 1975: 445; Hahn 1980: 33; Joger 1990: 93, Fig. 5 ; Meirte 1992: 20; McDiarmid et al. 1999: 83.

Letheobia rufescens – Chirio & Ineich, 2006: 42.

Description. Snout with an angular horizontal edge. Rostral very broad, truncated posteriorly; frontal crescentic, just contacting nasals; supraocular transverse, its lateral apex wedged between nasal and ocular, which is separated from the subocular by a small temporal; eye not visible; nasal suture arising from first or second labial; SIP II (N1, P, S, S); scale rows 22-20-20, 20-20-20 or 22-20-22; MD 585-656; vertebrae 442-448; MD/ V ratio 1.32–1.38; L/D ratio 69–90. Colourless.

Size. Largest specimen (MHNN 1895.324 — Haut-Oubangui) 490 mm in total length.

Habitat. Lowland rain forest.

Distribution. Central African Republic and northern Democratic Republic of Congo in the catchments of the Oubangui and Uélé Rivers, 450–650 m ( Figs. 10 & 11 ).

Localities. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. Abiras ( Joger 1990); Bangui ( Joger 1990) MNHN 1991.379; ZFMK 40349; Haut-Oubangui MNHN 1895.324, 1916.262 (holotype); Kouki MNHN 1997.3194; Ouazoua MNHN 1997.3197; Sangba MNHN 1995.9606. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. Bembesa-Takpwo MRAC 11949 (holotype of T. vrydaghi ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. The Letheobia pallida complex: A. L. pallida (BMNH 68.2. 9.135 – Zanzibar, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 151); B. L. swahilica sp. nov. (MCZ 40076, holotype – Ngatana, Tana River, Kenya, J. Boundy illustration); C. L. toritensis sp. nov. (NMZB 16722, paratype – Torit, Sudan, J. Boundy illustration). The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

FIGURE 5. The Letheobia rufescens complex: dorsal, lateral and ventral views of head of: A. L. largeni sp. nov. (BMNH 1974.5162, holotype – Gambela, Ethiopia, after Largen, 1978: Fig. 7); B. L. wittei (IRSNB 2511, holotype – Vandia-poshe, Democratic Republic of Congo, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 179); C. L. rufescens (MNHN 1916.262, holotype – Haut Oubangui, Central African Republic, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 167). The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

FIGURE 6. The Letheobia gracilis complex: dorsal, lateral and ventral views of head of: A. L. debilis (ZFMK 33684, holotype – Bangui, Central African Republic, after Joger, 1990: Fig. 3); B. L. kibarae (IRSNB 2201, holotype – Kaswabilenga, Democratic Republic of Congo, after Witte, 1953: Fig. 35); C. L. graueri (MCZ 30034 – Rwanda, near Ujiji, Tanzania, J. Boundy illustration). The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

FIGURE 10. Distribution of the East African species of Letheobia.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of the north-central African species of Letheobia and L. jubana in north-east Africa (inset, top left).