Ramphotyphlops albiceps (Boulenger, 1898) |
|
Order Suborder |
Squamata 有鱗目 Serpentes 蛇亞目 |
Family | Typhlopidae 盲蛇科 |
Genus | Ramphotyphlops 鉤盲蛇屬 |
Species | Ramphotyphlops albiceps |
Other name | - |
Chinese name | 白頭鉤盲蛇 |
Total length | Usually 10 - 15 cm. Occasionally up to 20 cm. |
Description | Brown above and on the sides. Underside slightly paler. Worm-like in appearance, with an extremely short blunt tail which has a small chitinous spur at the tip. Head and tail tip white, with a fine black line on tip of snout in some specimens. Eyes hidden beneath the head scales and barely visible to the naked eye. All scales smooth, with ventral scales similar in size to dorsal scales. |
Habitat | A fossorial species that seems to prefer soils of broad-leaf woodland. |
Behaviour | - |
Diet | Probably ant eggs, larvae and pupae. |
Reproduction | Breeding habits not known. Is thought to lay a small number of eggs. |
Distribution | A very rare snake in Hong Kong. Initially recorded in 1952 and 1966 from Caine Road and Caroline Hill Road on Hong Kong Island. Went unrecorded until 1988 when three specimens were collected in a patch of woodland on the slope of Mt. High West on Hong Kong Island. Two further specimen were collected on Hong Kong Island: 1992 - Campus of the University of Hong Kong; 1997 - Chung Hom Kok. Ranges from Malay Peninsula, but is so far unrecorded from mainland China. |
Conservation Status | IUCN Redlist: NE (Not Evaluated) |