A small genus of blindsnakes in the Leptotyphlopidae family, subfamily Epictinae. With appearances at a glance looking like most species of blindsnakes (on average they are very worm-like, pale pink or beige to brownish with few distinguishing features or patterns), these snakes are distinguished by a set of relatively minute traits that will usually only be visible under a microscope: two supralabial (above upper lip) scales, uniformly colored rostral and caudal tip scales, a rostral that has a notably enlarged base (often resulting in a protruding shovel-shaped snout), a very short tail overall even compared to other blindsnakes, and the near- or complete absence of a tail spine.