Epictia vindumi
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| Epictia vindumi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Leptotyphlopidae |
| Genus: | Epictia |
| Species: | E. vindumi |
| Binomial name | |
| Epictia vindumi Wallach, 2016[1] | |
Epictia vindumi, or Vindum's worm snake, is a member of the family Leptotyphlopidae, whose species, as well as worm snakes, often are called slender blind snakes or thread snakes.
As with most Epictia species, Epictia vindumi looks like a worm. The species is brown with yellowish stripes running its length, with a small yellow spot at the body's front end. The head is slightly wider than the neck. The snake's scale arrangement formula, often used by herpetologists to identify species, is 14–14–14, meaning that there are 14 rows of scales at the neck, 14 rows at the body's middle, and 14 rows at the tail area before the cloaca. To distinguish the species from similar ones, much more technical details must be noticed.[2]
Distribution
Epictia vindumi is endemic just to the northern portion of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, in the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, at elevations of up to about 30 meters (~100 feet).[2]
Habitat
Epictia vindumi is described as occurring in low, scrubby forest dominated by thorny trees belonging to the bean or legume family, the Fabaceae.[2]
The picture on this page is of an individual unearthed by gardeners moving rocks on the grounds of an old hacienda in Yucatán state.[3]
All members of the family Leptotyphlopidae have been described as subterranean and nocturnal.[2] However, a recent study found that Epictia munoai of South America was active under rocks during the hottest periods of the day.[4]