Malayotyphlops kraalii ( Doria, 1875 )

Karin, Benjamin R., Stubbs, Alexander L., Arifin, Umilaela, Bloch, Luke M., Ramadhan, G., Iskandar, Djoko T., Arida, Evy, Reilly, Sean B., Kusnadi, Agus & Mcguire, Jimmy A., 2018, The herpetofauna of the Kei Islands (Maluku, Indonesia): Comprehensive report on new and historical collections, biogeographic patterns, conservation concerns, and an annotated checklist of species from Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, Tam, and Kur, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 66, pp. 704-738 : 731-732

Malayotyphlops kraalii ( Doria, 1875)

Type locality. Kei Islands , Indonesia .

Distribution in the Kei Islands. This species was described based on a single specimen from an unknown locality in the Kei Islands ( Doria, 1875) and later collected by Captain Langen (again from an unknown locality) and reported by Boulenger (1893, p. 30). We did not find any specimens during our survey. It is also known from Seram ( McDowell, 1974).

Karin et al.: Herpetofauna of the Kei Islands

Fig. 35. Specimens of Cornufer papuensis from Kei Besar (ALS 755; ALS 757–60).

Natural history. A small, presumably fossorial blind snake.

Field identification. Differentiated from other blind snakes in the Kei Islands by possessing a preocular that is in contact with the third labial only. Boulenger (1893, p. 30) described specimens of this species as follows: “Snout rounded, projecting; nostrils lateral; rostral about one third the width of the head, not extending to the level of the eyes; nostril between two nasals, the anterior in contact with the first and second labials; preocular present, as broad as the ocular, in contact with the third labial only; eyes distinct; head-scales feebly enlarged; four upper labials; diameter of body [1/40 to 1/42] of the total length; tail as long as broad, ending in a spine; 24 to 26 scales round the body; blackish-brown; lower surface of head and middle of belly yellowish; total length 170 mm.”