Letheobia jubana, Wallach, Van, 2007

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 : 44-45

Letheobia jubana sp. nov.

( Fig 3 C)

Juba gracile blind-snake

Typhlops lineolatus lineolatus – (not Jan) Hoevers & Johnson 1982: 182; Lambert 1985: 66. Typhlops lineolatus— (not Jan) Lanza 1983: 219, 1990: 430.

Holotype. CAS 151201, a female from vicinity of Mareri, Juba Sugar Project, west bank of Juba River, Middle Juba region, southern Somalia (00°30’N, 42°46’E, elevation ca. 20 m), collected by P. M. Johnson, 25 January 1979, in a termite hill.

Paratypes. CAS 225258-61, MZUF 27179-84, with the same locality data as the holotype but collected by L. G. Hoevers and P. M. Johnson, 1977–1981, during bush clearing by bulldozers.

Diagnosis. Apparently most closely related to Letheobia decorosa of Cameroon, but differing in its rostral, which tapers posteriorly to a blunt point and has an obtusely angular keratinized cutting edge (rostral rounded posteriorly and snout rounded in L. decorosa ); its frontal being smaller than a supraocular (larger in L. decorosa ); and its lower middorsal count, 391–435 vs 460–542 in L. decorosa .

Description (paratype variations in parentheses). Snout with an obtusely angular keratinised horizontal edge. Rostral broad and saggitate, terminating in a blunt point; ventrally broad with parallel sides; frontal, supraoculars and interparietal subequal and transverse, supraocular with its lateral apex wedged between preocular and ocular; eye faintly visible beneath preocular; SIP X (N2, P, O, O); scale rows 26-24-22; MD 435 (391–430); L/D ratio 53 (44–57). Length 347 mm. Colouration – head yellow dorsally and laterally (largely brown in MZUF 27181), otherwise dorsum dark brown, each scale with a pale basal spot, larger laterally, ventrum immaculate.

Size. Largest specimen (CAS 225258 –– paratype) 510 mm in total length.

Habitat. The type series was bulldozed out of termitaria on levees of sandy loam on the west bank of the Juba River. The original vegetation consisted of tall riverine trees with undergrowth of shrubs and creepers. Distribution. Only known from the type locality ( Fig. 11 , inset top left).

Figures

FIGURE 3. The Letheobia obtusa complex: dorsal, lateral and ventral views of head of: A. L. obtusa (BMNH 1947.1. 1.24 – Blantyre, Malawi, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 42); B. L. decorosa (MNHN 1966 - 1251 – Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 44); C. L. jubana sp. nov. (CAS 151201, holotype – Mareri, Juba River, Somalia, J. Boundy illustration). The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

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