Range: Coastal Ecuador and northwestern Peru

 

Klauber’s blindsnake is a relatively commonly documented but poorly understood species of the western coastal South American tropics. It grows up to at least 19 cm in length, with an extremely slender cylindrical build. The head is no broader than the neck, with a slightly flattened profile and blunt nose; the tail is also short and blunt, barely tapered to the spine at the tip. Dorsal scale count is 280-333, scale row count 14 reduced to 10 caudally. Color is overall dark brown, with lighter scale margins creating faint lines down the body, and the ventral surface is also paler brown. A yellow blotch covers the upper half of the rostral scale and the chin shields and lips are paler, and a similar blotch covers the underside of the tail end extending just barely up and over the spine. This species is distinguished from its relatives by its notably higher scale count and fainter striped pattern.

 

Habitat: loose soils, ant or termite mounds, or under logs or debris in coastal forest, from sea level to 450 meters in elevation.

 

Prey: likely small soft-bodied invertebrates such as ant and termite larvae.

 

Lifespan and reproduction: lifespan unknown, likely under 10 years. Oviparous.

 

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/309234661David Torres under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

KOCH, C., VENEGAS, P. J., CRUZ, R. S., & BÖHME, W. (2018). Annotated checklist and key to the species of amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the northern Peruvian dry forest along the Andean valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries. Zootaxa, 4385(1), 1.

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5715862#page/78/mode/1up

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/32456-Epictia-subcrotilla