Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843

Pyron, Robert Alexander & Wallach, Van, 2014, Systematics of the blindsnakes (Serpentes: Scolecophidia: Typhlopoidea) based on molecular and morphological evidence, Zootaxa 3829 (1), pp. 1-81 : 57

Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, 1843

Type species. Typhlops multilineatus Schlegel, 1839

Species content. Ramphotyphlops acuticaudus , Ra. adocetus , Ra. angusticeps , Ra. becki , Ra. bipartitus (?), Ra. conradi (?), Ra. cumingii , Ra. depressus , Ra. exocoeti , Ra. flaviventer , Ra. hatmaliyeb , Ra. lineatus , Ra. lorenzi (?), Ra. mansuetus (?), Ra. marxi (?), Ra. multilineatus , Ra. olivaceus , Ra. similis (?), Ra. suluensis (?), Ra. supranasalis (?), and Ra. willeyi .

Diagnosis. Ramphotyphlops can be distinguished from all other typhlopoids by a protrusible hemipenis, retrocloacal sacs, absence of frontorostral, and paired prefrontals. Small- to large-sized (total length 62–480 mm), slender to stout-bodied (length/width ratio 17–95) snakes with 18–30 scale rows (with or without reduction), 209–709 total middorsals, short to long tail (1.2–9.0% total length) with 8–45 subcaudals (length/width ratio 0.8–7.2), and apical spine small. Dorsal and lateral head profiles usually rounded (sometimes pointed in lateral view), narrow to moderate rostral (0.27–0.67 head width), inferior nasal suture in contact with first or second supralabial, preocular in contact with second and third supralabials, eye moderate with distinct pupil or reduced to an eyespot, T-III or T-0 SIP, and postoculars 1–4. Lateral tongue papillae present; left lung absent, tracheal lung multicameral (with 19–52 chambers) or paucicameral (with 11–33 pockets), cardiac lung unicameral, paucicameral (with 3–6 pockets) or multicameral (with 2–12 chambers), and right lung; testes usually unsegmented; hemipenis protrusible (retracted hemipenis with 0–15 coils) with retrocloacal sacs; rectal caecum moderate to large (1.2–5.4% SVL), and rarely absent. Coloration of dorsum brown to dark brown, lighter ventrally (gray, gold or yellow), with either a gradual transition or sharp demarcation between dorsal and ventral color; supralabials, chin, cloacal region and tail tip occasionally light.

Phylogenetic definition. Includes the MRCA of Ramphotyphlops acuticaudus and Ra. lineatus and all descendants thereof, and all species more closely related to Ra. multilineatus than to the type species of the 15 other typhlopid genera listed here.

Etymology. Likely from the Greek for beak (rhamphos).

Distribution. Species in this genus have a broad distribution throughout Sundaland and Oceania, including the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Remarks. The following species are only tentatively allocated to Ramphotyphlops , as hemipenial data are lacking to confirm their affinities: Ra. bipartitus , Ra. conradi , Ra. lorenzi , Ra. mansuetus , Ra. marxi , Ra. similis , Ra. suluensis and Ra. supranasalis . Inclusion of these species in a molecular phylogenetic analysis will be desirable to confirm or reject this placement. Note that Hedges et al. (2014) did not recognize the apparently valid species Ramphotyphlops bipartitus (Wallach et al. 2014; Table 1), and synonymized Cathetorhinus with Ramphotyphlops . As described above, we resurrect Cathetorhinus and transfer it to Gerrhopilidae .