Epictina Hedges, Adalsteinsson, & Branch

Adalsteinsson, Solny A., Branch, William R., Trape, Sébastien, Vitt, Laurie J. & Hedges, S. Blair, 2009, Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the Family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata), Zootaxa 2244, pp. 1-50 : 15

Subtribe Epictina Hedges, Adalsteinsson, & Branch , New Subtribe

Type genus. Epictia Gray, 1845: 139 .

Diagnosis. Epictina is distinguished from the subtribe Renina (see below) by having absent or normal-sized supraoculars (small in Renina ) and by having a striped pattern and brightly colored dorsum, often with red and yellow (Table 2). Among other leptotyphlopids, only four West Indian species have stripes, and in three of those species the stripes are dull yellow. Epictina is distinguished from the subtribe Tetracheilostomina by having 2 supralabials (3–4 in Tetracheilostomina ). The support for this group was 69% BP and 100% PP for the four-gene tree ( Fig. 3) and 87% BP and 100% PP for the nine-gene tree ( Fig. 4).

Content. Two genera and 29 species ( Table 1).

Distribution. The subtribe is distributed from southern Mexico (Colima, Veracruz) through the lowlands of Middle America, south to Argentina and Uruguay in South America, but excluding the high Andes. It also occurs on San Salvador Island ( Bahamas), Cozumel Island ( Mexico), Islas de Bahia and Swan Islands ( Honduras), San Andres and Providencia Islands ( Colombia), Bonaire, Margarita Islands, and Trinidad.

Remarks. This subtribe comprises the major radiation of leptotyphlopids in South America.