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Hi everybody,

I have a question with a worm snake. In Israel there are 3 worm snakes:

1. Typhlops vermicularis


2. Rhinotyphlops simoni


3. Myriopholis macrorhyncha

In the trip of last april we found many Typhlops, one Rhinotyphlops and 2 strange worm snakes with a strong and grey frontal scale.



I´ve seen my pictures of Myriopholis algeriensis of Morocco and it hasn´t this grey scale. And in Internet photos all the Myriopholis macrorhyncha have a normal frontal scale and big black eyes. In Disi et al., 2001 don´t say nothing about it for Jordan worm snakes.



So what is it??? Rhinotyphlops simoni hasn´t eyes (or very small) and Myriopholis macrorhyncha has big black eyes. And these individuals has small eyes and this scale so grey! Maybe a morphological adaptation in the Rhinotyphlops simoni of Beit Shean area??

If anybody knows something please let me know it.

Gabri

I think that is Rhinotyphlops martinezgabrielii

hehehe Thanks for your answer Francesco. I would try in Jerusalem University, but I think nobody is interested in worm snakes, just to use them for fishing

Dear Gabri!

What a great variety of Typhloid snakes!
Regarding Rhinotyphlops: Weren't the Near Asian former Rhinotyphlops' placed into the genus Letheobia or ain't this accepted.
The unidentified worm snake indeed looks strange. Maybe you can contact Michael Franzen, perhaps he has an idea...

Thomas

HI Thomas!

I contacted with Yerudah Werner and he thought it was a R. simoni with anormal colour scalation probably to occur in humid places and the front scale is gray for digging close to a water point, not more...

Cheers

GAbri