Epacrophis 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 : 27

Genus Epacrophis Hedges, Adalsteinsson, & Branch , New Genus

Type species. Glauconia reticulata Boulenger, 1906: 441 .

Diagnosis. Species of Epacrophis and Epacrophini have 14 midbody scale rows, 10 midtail scale rows, 180– 248 middorsal scale rows, 18–32 subcaudals, two supralabials, a moderate-sized anterior supralabial, 143–201 mm maximum adult total length, a body shape of 30–57 (total length/width), a relative tail length of 7.9–10.9 %, a tail shape of 3.2–5.7, no striped pattern, and usually a brown dorsum and white venter (Table 2). Epacrophini can be distinguished from the two other tribes in the subfamily Leptotyphlopinae by the presence of a moderate-sized anterior supralabial (versus absent or small in other species of Leptotyphlopinae , except L. howelli ) and a stout apical spine on the tip of the tail ( Broadley & Wallach 2007; Wallach 1996). No species were included in the molecular phylogenetic analyses.

Content. One genus and three species ( Table 1; Fig. 9).

Distribution. Epacrophini is distributed in East Africa ( Kenya and Somalia) and nearby islands (Manda and Lamu) ( Fig. 11).

Etymology. The generic name is masculine and derived from the Greek adjective epakros (pointed at the end) and Greek noun ophis (snake), in allusion to the distinctive thorny spine at the tip of the tail in species of this genus.

Remarks. This tribe comprises the former reticulatus Group of " Leptotyphlops , " most recently defined by Broadley and Wallach (2007).