Afrotyphlops bibronii (A. Smith)

Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, Van, 2009, 2255, Zootaxa 2255, pp. 1-100 : 35-36

Afrotyphlops bibronii (A. Smith)

( Fig. 6A)

Bibron’s blind-snake

Onychocephalus bibronii A. Smith, 1846 , Ill. Zool. S. Afr., 3(24): unnumbered text to pl. 51, fig. 2, pl. 54, figs. 5–8. Type locality: “country to the northward of Latakoo [= Kuruman], South Africa,” lectotype BMNH 1946.1.11.22 (formerly BMNH 1865.5.8.9), designated by Roux-Estève, 1974: 275 (type figured by Auerbach, 1987: 142); Duméril & Duméril, 1851: 205; Duméril, 1856: 461; Peters, 1860: 83; Günther, 1866: 25; FitzSimons, V., 1962: 67, 1966a: 38; Roux-Estève, 1974: 138; Hahn, 1980: 51; McDiarmid et al., 1999: 92.

Typhlops bibronii — Boulenger, 1887: 174 (part), 1893: 44, 1896a: 587, 1908a: 227, 1910: 498 (part); Sclater, 1898: 98; FitzSimons, F., 1910: 26, 1912: 52, fig. 22.2, 1919: 52, fig. 23.2; Sternfeld, 1910d: 11; Werner, 1921: 315; Duerden & Essex, 1923: 175, figs. 8–9; Schmidt, 1923: 33; Essex, 1927: 923, figs. 62–64; FitzSimons, V., 1937: 261, 1956: 95, 1957: 386 (part), 1958: 95, 1962: 67, figs. 2 & 6, pls. 1 & col. pl. I, 1966a: 38, 1974: 66, pl. 2, fig. 1, 1978: 56, pl. 2, fig. 1; Bogert, 1940: 15; Brynard & Pienaar, 1960: 31; Isemonger, 1962: 93, 1968: 83, 1983: 87; McDowell, 1972: 239; Broadley, 1973: 20, 1978: 29, 1983 & 1990a: 40 & 377, figs. 2 & 5, pl. 1, 1998c: 385; Roux-Estève, 1974: 138, figs. 13.22 & 90.6, 1975a: 492, fig. 30; Broadley & Cock, 1975: 101; Raw, 1975: 19; Hahn, 1977: 37, 1980: 51; De Waal, 1978: 78; Broadley & Blake, 1979: 10; Groombridge, 1979a: 495, 1979b: 678; Bourquin & Channing, 1980: 15; Welch, 1982: 128, 1994: 65; Erasmus & Branch, 1983: 97, fig. 1; Hughes, 1983: 354; Auerbach, 1985: 31, 1987: 144, pl. 13, fig. 8; Patterson, 1987: 66; Jacobsen, 1989: 750; Branch, 1986: 290, fig. 2A, 1988a: 47, pl. 39, 1988b: 11, 1991: 12, fig., 1993: 8, fig., 1994: 47, pl. 39, 1997: 28, 1998: 55, pl. 39, 2001: 8, fig.; Bourquin, 1989: 20, 2004: 71; Spawls & De Graaf, 1989: 14; Yeadon, 1991: 23; Brazaitis & Watanabe, 1992: 134, fig.; Marais, 1992: 180, 3 figs., 2004: 287, 3 figs., 2007: 89, fig.; Frank & Ramus, 1995: 252; Meirte, 1992: 22; Mattison, 1995: 195, 2007: 198; Wallach, 1993b: 33, 1998a: 182, 1998b: 356; Zug, 1993: 448; Bates, 1997: 20; Greene, 1997: 150–151; Lambiris, 1998: 6; Mattison, 1999: 147; McDiarmid et al., 1999: 92; Webb et al., 2001: 559; Zug et al., 2001: 509; Murphy, 2003: 552; Brogard, 2005: 114; Jacobsen, 2005: 88, fig.; Schneider et al., 2005: 116; Alexander & Marais, 2007: 48, 51–52, 3 figs.; Cundall & Irish, 2008: 599; Maritz & Alexander, 2009: 6.

Typhlops bibroni — Boettger, 1889: 293; Werner, 1898: 143; Gough, 1908: 19; Hewitt, 1910: 57, 1918: 105, fig. 24, 1937:

50, fig. 2; Hewitt & Power, 1913: 160; Rose, 1950: 252, 1955: 74, 1962: 320; Broadley, 1966: 30 (Silverstreams);

Langebartel, 1968: 19, fig. 8; Fitch, 1970: 120; FitzSimons, 1970: 66, pl. 2, fig. 1; Porter, 1972: 406; Jacobsen,

1978: 10; Jacobsen & Haacke, 1980: 8, fig.; Coborn, 1991: 110, fig.; O’Shea, 2007: 95. Onychocephalus bibroni — Matschie, 1890: 609. Typhlops (Onychocepahlus) bibronii — Müller, 1890: 690. Typhlops bribroni (sic)— Roux, 1907b: 733. Rhinotyphlops bibronii — Broadley & Wallach, 2000: 167.

Description. Snout rounded in dorsal view, obtusely angular in lateral view. Rostral oval, slightly pointed behind; frontal subtrapezoidal, supraocular transverse, its lateral apex between preocular and ocular, or failing to reach preocular (NMZB-UM 12431), fused with preocular in NMZB 8401; eye beneath or behind the anterior border of the ocular; nasal sulcus arising from the first labial; SIP T-II-O (N2, P/O, O, O); MSR 30–34, reduction A/B 0 to 2, B/C 2 to 6; MD 363–453 (mean 417.6, n = 30); vertebrae 188–223 (mean 207.5, n = 18); MD/V ratio 1.89–2.14 (mean 2.01, n = 18); L/D ratio 31–42 (mean 35.2, n = 11). Uniform dark brown to blackish above and below, or lighter below. Underside of head and cloacal region always unpigmented. Largest specimen (PEM 12575—Mvubukazi River tributary, Cape Province, South Africa) has a total length of 484 mm.

Distribution. South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and extreme southeastern Botswana, with isolated relict populations on the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, 0–2000 m ( Fig. 14).

Localities. SOUTH AFRICA. Bethel TMP 4874 ; 15 km NE of Carolina NMZB-UM 2189 ; Cathedral Peak NMZB-UM 2157 ; Davel TMP 4878 ; Drakensberg National Park AMNH 57630 ; Durban BMNH 58.4.11.2; East London MNHN 1896.385 ; Groot Marico TMP 24800 ; Hilton Road, Natal MCZ 21438 ; Honeydew NMZB-UM 32418 ; Johannesburg BMNH 1902.2.17.1; TMP 4857 , 22218 ; Kuruman BMNH 1946.1 . 11.22 (lectotype of Onychocephalus bibronii A. Smith ); Makapansgat TMP 26234 ; Menlo Park TMP 71072 ; Mkabela Mtn. BMNH 1903.11.30.2; Modderfontein TMP 4877 ; Muckleneck TMP 68956 ; Outlook Farm, Soutpansberg NMZB-UM 33349 ; Port Elizabeth BMNH 91.5.6.13; Pretoria NMZB 5540 , TMP 27557, 32699 , 35612 ; Roodewal TMP 75745 ; Rust de Winter TMP 75744 ; Springvale FMNH 224414 ; Standerton NMZB 5539 ; Tonkwanekloof TMP 33718 ; Vredefort BMNH 1902.12.11.6; Waterkloof TMP 26816 . BOTSWANA. Lobatse, 5 km S Otse ( Auerbach, 1987) . ZIMBABWE. Selborne NMZB-UM 12431 ; Silverstreams NMZB-UM 11339 .