Range: Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico

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A relatively newly described species of  blindsnake with no common name, this species was primarily described from old specimen collections formerly lumped as another species. It can reach up to 18 cm in length, with a thin cylindrical build and rounded-ovate head only barely broader than the neck and slightly flattened on top. The rostral scale is notably tall and narrow, with a constriction near the apex. The tail is very short and blunt with almost no taper before the spine at the tip. Dorsal scale count is 243-265, scale row count 14 reduced to 10 caudally. Coloration is a pale yellow background, with 3 moderately sized brown dorsal stripes showing yellow of equal width between them, and broader lateral brown stripes with narrow yellow borders. The belly is cream-yellow sometimes with pale brown mottling, and pale cream to white spots adorn the rostral scale, upper lip and tail tip area, with a larger spot below the tip than above. This species can be distinguished by its narrow constricted rostral scale, unique dorsal stripe configuration, and relatively large eyes.

 

Habitat: collected from 825-1675 meters in elevation, in low montane forests ranging from pine-oak woodland to tropical evergreen. Likely to be found in loose soil, under debris or rocks and logs, or in ant and termite nests.

 

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

 

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

 

Sources: Wallach, V. 2016. Morphological review and taxonomic status of the Epictia phenops species group of Mesoamerica, with description of six new species and discussion of South American Epictia albifrons, E. goudotii, and E. tenella (Serpentes Leptotyphloptidae: Epictinae). Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 216–374.