Leptotyphlops rostratus, Mcdiarmid, Campbell & Toure, 1999

Published, First, 2007, A revision of the genus Leptotyphlops in northeastern Africa and southwestern Arabia (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae), Zootaxa 1408, pp. 1-78 : 68-69

Leptotyphlops rostratus species group

Leptotyphlops gracilior ( mean based on two males, TM 35116 , 48343 )

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 11.2%, sternohyoideus-heart gap 0.20, heart 3.7% (MP = 15.7%), snout-heart interval 17.6%, heart-liver gap 9.4%, liver lobes multipartite with rectangular segments, right liver 33.9% (MP = 43.9%) with 44.5 (43–46) segments, left liver 26.5% (MP = 42.4%) with 38.0 (35–41) segments, postcava wavy along cranial half and straight along caudal half of liver, anterior liver extension 0.07, posterior liver tail 0.16, left liver = 0.78 right liver, liver-gall bladder gap 1.5%, gall bladder 1.3% (MP = 62.9%) adjacent to pancreas (2.0%) and juxtasplenic body (1.6%), testes multipartite, right testis 7.5% (MP = 76.2%) with 14.0 (10–18) segments, left testis 5.5% (MP = 82.2%) with 10.0 (9–11) segments, right adrenal MP = 82.0%, left adrenal MP = 82.5%, kidneys smooth, right kidney 2.9% (MP = 85.9%), left kidney 3.0% (MP = 88.4%), kidney-vent interval 15.5%, kidney-vent gap 10.2%, kidney overlap 0.10, rectal caecum 1.7%, 3 times the diameter of adjacent small intestine, caecum-vent interval 8.4%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 16.9% (MP = 9.1%), estimated number of tracheal rings 195.3 (182–209) or 113.4 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 15.8%, cardiac lung 1.7%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 21.7% (MP =28.4%), cranial half with a spongy layer with small circular faveoli, caudal half reticulate with network of trabeculae, posterior tip at 39.3%, terminating in a coiled tail (2.0%), bronchus 10.1%, posterior tip of bronchus 27.6%, 1– 2 type G foramina present between each pair of cartilages in bronchus, bronchus = 0.47 right lung, trachea-bronchus 27.0% (MP = 14.2%), total lung 23.4% (MP = 27.6%).

Reproduction. TM 48343 (SVL 197 mm) with enlarged seminiferous tubules on 1 April 1976.

Leptotyphlops labialis ( mean based on one male, CAS 173390 , and one female, TM 57050 )

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 11.3%, sternohyoideus-heart gap 0.18, heart 3.6% (MP = 15.5%), snout-heart interval 17.3%, heart-liver gap 9.5%, liver lobes multipartite with longitudinally oval non-overlapping segments, right liver 42.8% (MP = 48.2%) with 39.5 (39–40) segments, left liver 30.7% (MP = 45.6%) with 33.0 (32–34) segments, postcava straight throughout, anterior liver extension 0.08, posterior liver tail 0.21, left liver = 0.72 right liver, liver-gall bladder gap 2.0%, gall bladder 1.0% (MP = 72.1%), wedged between caudal pancreas (1.3%) and craniad juxtasplenic body (1.0%) and spleen (0.6%), testes multipartite, right testis 8.1% (MP = 78.8%) with 12.0 segments, left testis 7.6% (MP = 83.8%) with 14.0 segments, right ovary 3.5% (MP = 82.6%) with 1 ova and 4 follicles, left ovary 5.3% (MP = 87.0%) with 2 ova and 4 follicles, right adrenal MP = 85.5%, left adrenal MP = 88.3%, kidneys smooth, right kidney 2.8% (MP = 88.3%), left kidney 2.6% (MP = 90.3%), kidney-vent interval 13.1%, kidney-vent gap 8.5%, kidney overlap 0.18, rectal caecum 1.6%, twice the diameter of adjacent small intestine, caecum-vent interval 6.6%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 16.4% (MP = 9.1%), estimated number of tracheal rings 166.0 (162–170) or 101.3 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 15.7%, cardiac lung 1.6%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 26.5% (MP = 30.5%), cranial half with one layer of large circular faveoli, caudal half reticulate with network of trabeculae, posterior tip 43.8%, bronchus 7.2%, posterior tip of bronchus 24.5%, bronchus = 0.28 right lung, trachea-bronchus 23.7% (MP = 12.7%), total lung 28.1% (MP = 29.7%).

Reproduction. Wallach (1998b) estimated the clutch size as 3. TM 57050 (SVL 170 mm, MBD 3 mm) with 2/1 ova (2 x 1 mm /2.5 x 1 mm) and 4/4 follicles on 27 October 1983.

Leptotyphlops latifrons ( mean based on one male, MCZ 38248, and female paralectotype, BMNH 1864.6.14.6)

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 12.1%, sternohyoideus-heart gap 0.19, heart 4.5% (MP = 17.0%), snout-heart interval 19.3%, heart-liver gap 9.9%, liver lobes multipartite, right liver 31.4% (MP = 44.8%) with 49.5 (45– 54) segments, left liver 26.1% (MP = 42.6%) with 42.0 (42–42) segments, postcava wavy throughout, anterior liver extension 0.01, posterior liver tail 0.16, left liver = 0.83 right liver, liver-gall bladder gap 3.2%, gall bladder 1.1% (MP = 64.2%) wedged between caudal pancreas (1.1%) and cranial juxtasplenic body (1.5%), testes multipartite, right testis 4.0% (MP = 81.9%) with 6 segments, left testis 2.9% (MP = 86.1%) with 9 segments, right ovary 4.1% (MP = 78.3%) with no ova and 18.0 follicles, left ovary 3.8% (MP = 81.8%) with no ova and 17.0 follicles, right adrenal MP = 00.0%, left adrenal MP = 00.0%, kidneys smooth, right kidney 2.3% (MP = 86.3%), left kidney 2.3% (MP = 88.8%), kidney-vent interval 14.8%, kidney-vent gap 10.1%, kidney-kidney gap 0.05, rectal caecum 1.7%, caecum-vent interval 8.6%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 18.4% (MP = 10.1%), estimated number of tracheal rings 172.0 (162–182) or 94.9 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 16.1%, cardiac lung 3.2%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 20.5% (MP = 29.6%), cranial half with faveoli, caudal half with trabeculae, posterior tip 39.8%, bronchus 9.2%, posterior tip of bronchus 28.4%, bronchus = 0.45 right lung, tracheabronchus 27.6% (MP = 14.6%), total lung 23.7% (MP = 27.9%).

Leptotyphlops occidentalis ( based on one male, FMNH 187108 , and one female, TM 57057 )

Posterior tip of sternohyoideus 10.2%, sternohyoideus-heart gap 0.21, heart 3.0% (MP = 14.4%), snout-heart interval 15.9%, heart-liver gap 11.6%, liver lobes multipartite with rectangular segments, right liver 36.3% (MP = 45.6%) with 46.5 (46–47) segments, left liver 29.3% (MP = 43.1%) with 40.5 (37–44) segments, postcava straight along cranial 2/3 and zig-zag along caudal 1/3 of liver, anterior liver extension 0.03, posterior liver tail 0.16, left liver = 0.81 right liver, liver-gall bladder gap 3.9%, gall bladder 1.2% (MP = 68.2%), wedged between caudal pancreas (1.3%) and cranial juxtasplenic body (1.1%) and spleen (0.7%), testes multipartite but compact, appearing unipartite with segments adpressed to one another, right testis 8.8% (MP = 74.4%) with 13 segments, left testis 6.2% (MP = 79.6%) with 9 segments, right ovary 3.5% (MP = 77.8%) with 7 ova and 9 follicles, left ovary 2.4% (MP = 81.4%) with 2 ova and 11 follicles, right adrenal MP = 81.7%, left adrenal MP = 84.2%, kidneys smooth, right kidney 3.8% (MP = 83.9%), left kidney 2.9% (MP = 86.2%), kidney-vent interval 18.0%, kidney-vent gap 12.4%, kidney overlap 0.19, rectal caecum 1.8%, 2–4 times the diameter of adjacent small intestine, caecum-vent interval 10.2%.

Respiratory system lacking tracheal lung and left lung complex, trachea 15.2% (MP = 8.3%), estimated number of tracheal rings 196.5 (189–204) or 127.6 rings/10% SVL, anterior lung tip 13.8%, cardiac lung 2.1%, tracheal entry terminal, right lung 21.7% (MP = 26.7%), cranial half with faveoli, caudal half reticulate, posterior tip 37.6%, bronchus 9.6%, posterior tip of bronchus 25.4%, single foramina (type G) between the tips of each pair or every alternate pair of cartilages, bronchus = 0.45 right lung, trachea-bronchus 24.7% (MP = 13.1%), total lung 23.8% (MP = 25.7%).

Reproduction. Wallach (1998b) estimated the clutch size as 9. TM 57057 (SVL 227 mm, MBD 3.3 mm) with 2/7 ova (1 x 0.75 mm) and 11/9 follicles on 16 July 1983. Hemipenis entirely nude, filiform, slightly tapering at distal tip, sulcus simple, extending along posterior surface (FMNH 187108).