Joshua's blind snake explained

Joshua's blind snake (Trilepida joshuai) is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to Colombia.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name, joshuai, is a reference to Joshua, victor at the Battle of Jericho, in reference to the type locality, Jericó, Antioquia, Colombia.^[2]

Geographic range

T. joshuai is found in the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Caldas, and Valle del Cauca.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of T. joshuai is forest, at altitudes of, but it has also been found in urban areas.

Description

T. joshuai is black dorsally, and white ventrally. The total length (including tail) of the holotype is 27cm (11inches).^[3]

Behavior

T. joshuai is terrestrial and fossorial.

Diet

T. joshuai preys upon insect larvae and termites.

Reproduction

T. joshuai is oviparous.

Further reading

• Adalsteinsson SA, Branch WR, Trape S, Vitt LJ, Hedges SB (2009). "Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata)". Zootaxa 2244: 1–50. (Tricheilostoma joshuai, new combination).
• Dunn ER (1944). "A Review of the Colombian Snakes of the Families Typhlopidae and Leptotyphlopidae". Caldasia 3 (11): 47–55. (Leptotyphlops joshuai, new species, pp. 53–54, Figures 9–10).
• Hedges SB (2011). "The type species of the threadsnake genus Tricheilostoma Jan revisited (Squamata: Leptotyphlopidae)". Zootaxa 3027: 63–64. (Trilepida joshuai, new combination, p. 63).
• Rojas-Morales JA (2012). "Snakes of an urban-rural landscape in the central Andes of Colombia: species composition, distribution, and natural history". Phyllomedusa 11 (2): 135–154.

Notes and References

1. [species:Roy Wallace McDiarmid|McDiarmid RW]
2. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
3. [Emmett Reid Dunn|Dunn ER]