Letheobia largeni, Wallach, Van, 2007

Wallach, Van, 2007, A review of East and Central African species of Letheobia Cope, revived from the synonymy of Rhinotyphlops Fitzinger, with descriptions of five new species (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), Zootaxa 1515, pp. 31-68 : 48

Letheobia largeni sp. nov.

( Fig 5 A)

Largen’s gracile blind-snake

Rhinotyphlops pallidus – (not Cope) Largen 1978: 59, Fig. 7 ; Largen & Rasmussen 1993: 321.

Holotype. BMNH 1974.5162, a female from Gambela, Wollega District, Ethiopia (08°15'N, 34°35'E, elevation 515 m), collected by E. McConnell, 19 April 1974.

Diagnosis. Closely related to Letheobia toritensis , but with the supraocular separated from the rostral by nasal/frontal contact and the nasal suture arising from the second supralabial.

Description. Snout rounded, prominent. Rostral broad, semi-sagittate posteriorly; frontal subtrapexoid; supraocular oblique, its lateral apex between ocular and nasal, the latter separated from the lip by a large subocular; eye not visible; nasal suture arising from second labial; SIP X (N1, P, O, O); scale rows 24-22-22; MD 432; L/D ratio 65. Length 274 mm ( Largen 1978).

Etymology. Named for Malcolm Largen, who described and illustrated the type specimen.

Habitat. Moist savanna.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in southwestern Ethiopia ( Figs. 11 & 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. The Letheobia rufescens complex: dorsal, lateral and ventral views of head of: A. L. largeni sp. nov. (BMNH 1974.5162, holotype – Gambela, Ethiopia, after Largen, 1978: Fig. 7); B. L. wittei (IRSNB 2511, holotype – Vandia-poshe, Democratic Republic of Congo, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 179); C. L. rufescens (MNHN 1916.262, holotype – Haut Oubangui, Central African Republic, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 167). The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

FIGURE 7. Dorsal, lateral and ventral views of: A. L. gracilis (ZMB 44030, holotype – Kitungulu, Zimbabwe, after Witte, 1966: Fig. 5); B. L. sudanensis (MRAC 3232, paratype – Faradje, Democratic Republic of Congo, after Roux- Estève, 1974: Fig. 171); C. L. lumbriciformis (ZMB 8045 A, syntype – Zanzibar coast, after Roux-Estève, 1974: Fig. 155. The lines indicate 1 mm to scale.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of the north-central African species of Letheobia and L. jubana in north-east Africa (inset, top left).

FIGURE 13. Distribution of the Letheobia somalica complex in Ethiopia and Eritrea.