Grypotyphlops Peters, 1881

Pyron, Robert Alexander & Wallach, Van, 2014, Systematics of the blindsnakes (Serpentes: Scolecophidia: Typhlopoidea) based on molecular and morphological evidence, Zootaxa 3829 (1), pp. 1-81 : 52

Grypotyphlops Peters, 1881

Type species. Onychocephalus acutus Duméril & Bibron, 1844

Species content. Grypotyphlops acutus .

Diagnosis. Grypotyphlops can be distinguished from all other typhlopoids by the combination of a T-0 SIP, dorsal and lateral snout profiles acutely pointed, and subocular present. Large-sized (total length 115–631 mm), stout- to slender-bodied (length/width ratio 38–79) snakes with 24–34 scale rows (with reduction), 448–526 total middorsals, short tail (0.8–1.9% total length) with 7–13 subcaudals (length/width ratio 0.8–1.5), and apical spine absent. Broad rostral (0.61–0.80 head width), inferior nasal suture in contact with first or second supralabial, preocular in contact with second and third supralabials, small eyespot present under nasal shield, T-0 SIP, and postoculars 3–4. Lateral tongue papillae present; left lung absent, tracheal, cardiac and right lungs multicameral (with 32–38 + 4–7 + 3–8 chambers, respectively); testes unsegmented; hemipenis eversible, lacking retrocloacal sacs; and rectal caecum moderate (2.5–2.8% SVL). Coloration brown, light brown, tan or golden-brown dorsally with immaculate gold to yellow venter, and rostral gold to yellow, lighter than dorsum.

Phylogenetic definition. This genus is currently monotypic, but would include any newly discovered species more closely related to Grypotyphlops acutus than to any of the 15 type species of the other typhlopid genera listed here.

Etymology. Likely from the Greek for hooked nose (grypos), referring to the "beaked" appearance of Grypotyphlops acutus .

Distribution. Peninsular India.

Remarks. The genus Grypotyphlops was resurrected for Onychocephalus acutus ( Wallach 2003) , and is thus the currently recognized, valid genus for the species, which was previously placed in Rhinotyphlops ( McDiarmid et al. 1999) . The species Onychocephalus unilineatus Duméril & Bibron, 1844 was considered incertae sedis by Dixon & Hendricks (1979) and McDiarmid et al. (1999), who questioned the locality of Cayenne, French Guiana. The type (MNHN 1064) has been re-examined and shown to be a synonym of Gr. acutus ( Wallach 2003) . The same is true for the type (IRSNB 2017) of Typhlops psittacus , another species described with erroneous locality data ( Werner 1903; Wallach 1994). This genus bears a resemblance, both internal and external, to some species of Letheobia (Tables 2, 3; Wallach 1994, 2003), and may thus form part of an Africa-India clade, reflecting the shared Gondwanan biogeographic history of typhlopids ( Vidal et al. 2010). We thus place it in Afrotyphlopinae.