Typhlops brongersmianus Vanzolini, 1976

Guedes, Thaís B., Nogueira, Cristiano & Marques, Otavio A. V., 2014, Diversity, natural history, and geographic distribution of snakes in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 3863 (1), pp. 1-93 : 21

Typhlops brongersmianus Vanzolini, 1976 “Cobra-cega”

(Figs. 8.7 and 21.3)

Recorded only in the state of Sergipe, next to Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana, and in Ceará on the Ibiapaba- Araripe Plateau. It occurs from sea level to 847 m elevation in the Caatinga. It is widely distributed, recorded in the Atlantic Forest, Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, and Pampas ( Martins & Oliveira 1998; Cechin 1999; Marques et al. 2001; Marques et al. 2005; Bérnils et al. 2008; Recoder & Nogueira 2007; Sawaya et al. 2008; Valdujo et al. 2009; Nogueira et al. 2010). Occurs in moist forested area in Ceará ( Loebmann & Haddad 2010) and can also be found in open areas of bushy and arboreal caatinga on sandy soil, but with strong influence of adjacent Atlantic Forest in Sergipe ( Carvalho & Vilar 2005). Records in the Cerrado region are mostly associated to riparian forests and sandy soils (Nogueira et al. 2011; Recoder et al. 2011). The single record in Caatinga lowlands was in a hydroelectric plant area in Alagoas State, dominated by xerophitic caatinga vegetation. It has fossorial habits, is nocturnal, and feeds mostly on arthropods ( Marques et al. 2001, 2005).