Range: Northern Peruvian Andes, near Jaén

 

This 2016-described blindsnake is a colorful Andean valley endemic. It is a very small species as presently known, reaching to only around 14 cm in length with a slender cylindrical build. The head is barely different width from the neck and very short, rounded, and with only a slightly tapered snout. The tail is similarly short and blunt, only barely tapered just before the prominent terminal spine. Dorsal scale count is 196-205, scale row count 14 reduced to 10 caudally. Coloration is a distinctive set of 14 lengthwise stripes passing through the centers of each scale row and with serrated edges, split by bright cream-yellow stripes, reducing to 10 on the tail. A distinctive yellow blotch covers the upper rostral scale, as well as the tail tip with a broader ventral section. The belly is slightly paler but similarly striped. This species can be distinguished from its relatives by its low dorsal count, highly striped and contrasting pattern with serrated stripe edges, and broad contact between the front supralabial and supraocular scales.

 

Habitat: recorded at 1985-2070 meters in elevation in montane shrubland, under rocks, logs, or in loose soil.

 

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

 

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

 

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/255071253 Author Carlos Pérez Peña under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Koch et al. (2016). Two new endemic species of Epictia Gray, 1845 (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae) from Northern Peru. Zootaxa 4150(2): 101–122