Leptotyphlops is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes, in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to and found throughout Africa. Eleven species have been moved to the genus Trilepida, and other species have been moved to the genera Epacrophis, Epictia, Mitophis, Myriopholis, Namibiana, Rena, Siagonodon, Tetracheilostoma, and Tricheilostoma.
Most species of Leptotyphlops look much like shiny earthworms. They are generally black, grey, or blackish-brown and their scales give them a segmented appearance. Their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness, and hidden behind a protective head scale. The species which are called thread snakes are so named because of their very narrow, long bodies.
All blind snakes including those of the genus Leptotyphlops are burrowing snakes, spending most of their time deep in loose soil, typically only emerging when it rains and they get flooded out.
The primary diet of Leptotyphlops is ant and termite larvae.
| Common name | Scientific name | Taxon author | Habitat & Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian worm snake | Leptotyphlops aethiopicus | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: Forest, grasslandRange: Ethiopia, Kenya[1] | |
| Cape thread snake | Leptotyphlops conjunctus | (Jan, 1861) | Habitat: GrasslandRange: South Africa (Eastern Cape Province)[2] | |
| Distant's thread snake | Leptotyphlops distanti | (Boulenger, 1892) | Habitat: Savanna, grasslandRange: Mozambique, South Africa (Limpopo Province, North-West Province, Mpumalanga, Gauteng)[3] | |
| Emin Pasha’s worm snake | Leptotyphlops emini | (Boulenger, 1890) | Habitat: Savanna, shrublandRange: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia[4] | |
| Howell’s worm snake | Leptotyphlops howelli | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: Forest, savannaRange: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[5] | |
| Incognito thread snake | Leptotyphlops incognitus | Broadley & Watson, 1976 | Habitat: Savanna, grasslandRange: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga), Zambia, Zimbabwe[6] | |
| Jacobsen's thread snake | Leptotyphlops jacobseni | Broadley & S. Broadley, 1999 | Habitat: GrasslandRange: South Africa (Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga)[7] | |
| Shaba thread snake | Leptotyphlops kafubi | (Boulenger, 1919) | Habitat: Savanna, artificial / terrestrialRange: Angola, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia[8] | |
| Mount Kenya worm snake | Leptotyphlops keniensis | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: ShrublandRange: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[9] | |
| Uvira worm snake | Leptotyphlops latirostris | (Sternfeld, 1912) | Habitat: SavannaRange: Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Republic of Tanzania[10] | |
| Goggle-eyed worm snake | Leptotyphlops macrops | Broadley & Wallach, 1996 | Habitat: Forest, savanna, artificial / terrestrialRange: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[11] | |
| Mbanja worm snake | Leptotyphlops mbanjensis | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: Artificial / terrestrialRange: United Republic of Tanzania[12] | |
| Merker’s thread snake | Leptotyphlops merkeri | (F. Werner, 1909) | Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland, artificial / terrestrial, introduced vegetationRange: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[13] | |
| Black thread snake | Leptotyphlops nigricansT | (Schlegel, 1839) | Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grasslandRange: South Africa (Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape)[14] | |
| Black-tip worm snake | Leptotyphlops nigroterminus | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: Savanna, shrublandRange: Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania[15] | |
| Pemba worm snake | Leptotyphlops pembae | Loveridge, 1941 | Habitat: Grassland, artificial / terrestrialRange: Pemba Island, Tanzania[16] | |
| Pitman’s thread snake | Leptotyphlops pitmani | Broadley & Wallach, 2007 | Habitat: SavannaRange: Kenya, Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda[17] | |
| N/A | Leptotyphlops pungwensis | Broadley & Wallach, 1997 | Range: Mozambique[18] | |
| Peter's thread snake | Leptotyphlops scutifrons | (W. Peters, 1854) | Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grasslandRange: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe[19] | |
| Forest thread snake | Leptotyphlops sylvicolus | Broadley & Wallach, 1997 | Habitat: Forest, grasslandRange: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province)[20] | |
| Tello's thread snake | Leptotyphlops telloi | Broadley & Watson, 1976 | Habitat: SavannaRange: Eswatini, Mozambique[21] |