Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Schlegel)

Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, Van, 2009, 2255, Zootaxa 2255, pp. 1-100 : 59-61

Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Schlegel)

( Fig. 10C)

Delalande’s beaked blind-snake

Typhlops lalandei Schlegel, 1839 in 1837–1844, Abbild. Amph.: 38, pl. 32, figs. 17–20. Type locality: “Vorgebirge der guten Hoffnung” [= Cape of Good Hope, South Africa], syntypes MNHN 1492, 3214A–B, 6992A–B, RMNH 3715A–B, collected by Lalande and Van Horstolk; Jan, 1863: 13, 1864: 28; Jan & Sordelli, 1864b: 3, pl. 4, fig. 1, pl. 5, fig. 1, 1865: 5, pl. 1, fig. 8; Flower, 1929: 156; Mertens, 1955: 86, 1971: 75; FitzSimons, V., 1962: 71, 1966a: 38, 1974: 70, 1978: 60; Guibé & Roux-Estève, 1972: 134; Broadley, 1973: 20, 1978: 29, 1983 & 1990a: 43 & 377, figs. 7–8, pl. 4, 1998c: 386; Broadley & Cock, 1975: 101; Jacobsen, 1978: 10; Pienaar et al., 1978: 117, pl. 48, 1983: 126, pl. 53; Poynton & Broadley, 1978: 932; Broadley & Blake, 1979: 10; Isemonger, 1983: 87; Hahn, 1980: 31; Auerbach, 1985: 31, 1987: 145, pl. 14, fig. 1; Berger-Dell’Mour, 1987: 6; Branch & Braack, 1987: 88, 1989: 31; Branch, 1986: 291, fig. 2C, 1988a: 47, pl. 39, 1988b: 11, 1988d: 8, fig. 1, 1991: 12, fig., 1993: 8, fig., 1994: 47, pl. 39; Bourquin, 1989: 20; Jacobsen, 1989: 756; Spawls & De Graaf, 1989: 14; Staniszewski, 1990: 114, fig.; Bates & Douglas, 1992: 29; Burger, 1992: 4; Marais, 1992: 181, 3 figs.; Branch & Bauer, 1995: 70; Bates, 1997: 20; Griffin, 2003: 85; Schneider et al., 2005: 116.

Rhinotyphlops lalandii — Fitzinger, 1843: 24; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Onychocephalus delalandii — Duméril & Bibron, 1844: 273; A. Smith, 1846, pl. 51, fig. 1, pl. 54, figs. 1–4; Peters, 1860: 79; Jan, 1863: 13, 1864: 28; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Onychophis franklinii Gray, 1845: 132 . Type locality: “ Australia ” (in error, restricted to Africa via synonymy by Peters, 1865: 262), holotype BMNH 1946.1.10.81, presented by the Earl of Derby; FitzSimons, V., 1962: 71; Roux-Estève, 1974: 158; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Typhlops (Onychocephalus) lalandei — Jan, 1863: 13.

Onychophis lalandii — Gray, 1845: 132; Peters, 1860: 79, 1865: 262; FitzSimons, V., 1962: 71.

Onychophis fordii Gray, 1845: 134 . Type locality: “ Cape of Good Hope,” [ South Africa], holotype Fort Pitt Museum, Chatham, UK (lost fide A. Grandison in Roux-Estève, 1974: 79); FitzSimons, V., 1962: 71; Roux-Estève, 1974: 158; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Typlops (sic) delalandii — Smith, A., 1846 in 1838–1849: text to pl. 51; Peters, 1860: 79.

Typhlops (Onychocephalus) smithi Jan & Sordelli, 1860: 1 , pl. 5, fig. 5, pl. 6, fig. 5. Type locality: “Cap de Bonne Espérance” [= Cape of Good Hope, South Africa], holotype MSNM (destroyed July 1943 during WW II); Jan, 1863: 13, 1864: 27; McDiarmid et al., 1999: 81.

Typhlops lalandii — Peters, 1860: 79; Smit, 1949: 117; McDowell, 2008: 540, fig. 2.3C.

Onychocephalus lalandii — Günther, 1866: 25.

Onychocephalus lalandei — Peters, 1870: 114.

Typhlops (Onychocephalus) lalandei paucisquamosa Boettger, 1883 , Ber. Offenbach. Ver. Naturkunde, 22–23: 155. Type locality: “Smithfield, Transvaal” [= Orange Free State, South Africa] (30.217°S, 26.533°E, elevation 1385 m), lectotype SMF 16658 (formerly SMF 7045A) (designated by Mertens, 1967: 88), collected by C. Müller, presented by H. Simon, 1882; Mertens, 1967: 88.

Typhlops (Onychocephalus) delalandei — Boettger, 1887a: 154, pl. 5; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Typhlops delalandei — Boulenger, 1887: 173; Boettger, 1898: 5; Gough, 1908: 19; Broadley, 1966: 30 (Whitewaters); FitzSimons, V., 1970: 70.

Typhlops delalandei paucisquamata (sic) — Boettger 1898: 5; Mertens, 1922: 178, 1967: 88; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Typhlops bibronii — (not A. Smith) Boulenger, 1910: 498 (part, Malmesbury only); FitzSimons, V., 1957: 386 (part, Grey’s Pass).

Typhlops delalandii — Boulenger, 1887b: 174, 1893: 45, 1896a: 588, 1910: 498; Bocage, 1896c: 119; Werner, 1898: 143, 1910: 288, 1921: 317; Sclater, 1898: 98; Chubb, 1909a: 595, 1909b: 35; FitzSimons, F., 1910: 26, pl. 9, fig. 1, 1912: 52, fig. 22.1, 1919: 52, fig. 23.1; Sternfeld, 1910a: 53, 1910c: 10, fig. 7, 1910d: 11, fig. 7; Duerden & Essex, 1923: 175, figs. 1–5; Schmidt, 1923: 33; Flower, 1925: 959, 1929: 156; Essex, 1927: 923, figs. 50–61; Lawrence, 1929: 26; Rose, 1929: 151, fig. 95, 1950: 252, fig. 150, 1955: 70, 75, fig. 28, 1962: 316, fig. 202;, 1921: 317; Mahendra, 1936: 140, fig. 12; Smit, 1949: 117, figs. 1–11; Broadley, 1959: 8, 1961: 3; FitzSimons, V., 1946: 354, 1962: 71, fig. 9, 1966a: 38; Isemonger, 1962: 93, 1968: 84, Pienaar & FitzSimons, 1966: 135, pl. 53; Guibé, 1970a: 200, fig. 161A; Kamal, 1970: 123; Bellairs & Kamal, 1981: 180; Auerbach, 1987: 145.

Typhlops bibronii — (not A. Smith) Boulenger, 1910: 498 (part, Malmesbury); FitzSimons, V., 1957: 386.

Typhlops delalandi — Werner, 1910: 353; Hewitt & Power, 1913: 161; Hewitt, 1937: 50, fig. 3, pl. 18, fig. 7; McDowell & Bogert, 1954: 82; FitzSimons, V., 1966a: 38.

Typhlops verticalis — (not A. Smith) FitzSimons, V., 1962: 65 (part), fig. 3.

Typhlops smithii — FitzSimons, V., 1962: 71, 1966a: 38; Roux-Estève, 1974: 158; Hahn, 1980: 31.

Rhinotyphlops lalandei — Roux-Estève, 1974: 158, figs. 8 & 109, 1975a: 495, figs. 31–32; Hahn, 1977: 36; De Waal, 1978: 79; Jacobsen & Haacke, 1980: 9, fig.; Welch, 1982: 126, 1994: 57; Obst et al., 1984: 370, 1988: 675; Auerbach, 1987: 145; Coborn, 1991: 110; Frank & Ramus, 1995: 252; Branch. 1998: 53, 2001: 8, fig.; Wallach, 1998a: 182, 1998b: 335, 2003: 240; McDiarmid et al., 1999: 81; Mattison, 1999: 147; Webb et al., 2001: 559; Bauer & Branch, 2002: 144; Lee & Scanlon, 2002: 400; Schmidt, W., 2002: 17; Griffin, 2003: 85; Murphy, 2003: 552; Bourquin, 2004: 72; Branch & Bauer, 2004: 14; Broadley, 2004: 327; Marais, 2004: 281, 2 figs., 2007: 88, 2 figs.; Brogard, 2005: 113; Schneider et al., 2005: 116; Alexander & Marais, 2007: 48, fig.; O’Shea, 2007: 96, fig.; Cundall & Irish, 2008: 387; Maritz & Alexander, 2009: 6.

Onychophis lalandeii (sic)— Hahn, 1980: 31.

Rhinotyphlops delalandei — Meirte, 1992: 19 & 113.

Rhinotyphlops delalandii — Cundall & Irish, 2008: 599.

Description. Snout very prominent, with sharp keratinised horizontal edge on rostral and nasals; rostral very large, oviform, extending back almost to the level of the eyes, ventrally slightly more than half the width of the head at the level of the nostrils; frontal hexagonal; supraocular transverse, its lateral apex between preocular and ocular; eye distinct near anterior edge of ocular; nasal in contact with first and second labials, nasal suture arising from either; SIP T-X (N2, P/O, O, O). MSR 26–34 (mean 28.0, n = 106); MD 334–467 (mean 377.4, n = 63); vertebrae 188–212 (mean 205.0, n = 28); MD/V ratio 1.61–1.93 (mean = 1.79, n = 28); L/D ratio 31–63 (mean 45.5, n = 60). Pale to dark slate or greyish brown above, each scale pale bordered, pigmentation covering 1–17 dorsal scale rows, the outer border being irregular; venter uniform white or yellowish. Largest specimen (NMZB-UM 7160—Beitbridge, Limpopo Province, South Africa) has a total length of 355 mm.

Distribution. Central and southern Namibia, southern Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland, NSL- 1425 m ( Fig. 18). Probably entering Mozambique on the eastern side of the Lebombo Range (a headless specimen examined from the crop of an owl) and along the eastern border of the Kruger National Park.

Localities. NAMIBIA. Aus MMK 679/5; Gobabis ( Sternfeld, 1910a, 1910c; Mertens, 1971: 86); Namuskluft 88, Lüderitz NMWN 3174; Rössing Mine, Swakopmund NMWN 4270; Windhoek NMWN 6992. BOTSWANA. Akiles Farm TM 41616; Gabane ZFMK 41734; Moeding College NMZB 7849, 8665– 66, 8732; Mosu NMZB-UM 20562; Otse ( Auerbach, 1987); Serowe ZMUC 52187; Shoshong (Bocage 1896). ZIMBABWE. Beitbridge NMZB 6363; Bembesi NMZB 2199; Bulawayo NMZB 781,784–5, 3736, 6262, 7043, 7052, 7197, 7539, 8215, 8903, 9421, 9501, 10284, 11205, 12043, 13154, 13717, 14777, 16869; NMZB- UM 99, 4551, 20308–10, 26663, 32236, 32902; 15 km S of Bulawayo NMZB 3337; Chikombedzi NMZB- UM 20244; Dog Star Mine, Bulawayo NMZB 8876; Esigodini NMZB 804; Fishan, Gonarezhou Nat. Park NMZB-UM 33275; Gwanda BNMZB 5685; Gweru NMZB-UM 33026; NMZB 7748–49; Heany NMZB 2076; Irisvale NMZB 1404; Kariba NMZB-UM 11417; Majoda NMZB 8899; Marongora, Hurungwe Safari Area NMZB 7719; Muzarabani Communal Land NMZB 11174; Plumtree NMZB 13957; Pongoro, Hwange Nat. Park NMZB-UM 22110; Sawmills NMZB 1052; Sentinel NMZB 11632; NMZB-UM 14546; Shapi Pan, Hwange Nat Park NMZB-UM 25747; Smith’s Mine Hills, Hwange Nat Park NMZB 12792; Tuli NMZB 10999; Umtshibi Camp, Hwange Nat Park NMZB 17006; Umvumvumvu River NMZB-UM 16106; Whitewaters, Mutare NMZB-UM 7484, 17864. SOUTH AFRICA. Barkly West ( Hewitt & Power, 1913); Beit Bridge NMZB 7160; Graaf Reinet NMZB-UM 16388–89; Kruger Nat. Park, eastern boundary KNP 24 (2); Louws River NMZB 782–83; Malmesbury SAM 1788; Suikerkop 31, Phalaborwa NMZB 11110.