TYPHLOPS 49 



This genus has more than one hundred fifty linown species. 

 Representatives are found in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Europe, 

 AustraUa, East Indies, Central and South America, and the West 

 Indies. They appear to be absent from North America and 

 New Zealand. The East Indies have twenty known species, two 

 of which, Tij-phloj)s hraminus Daudin and Typhlo'ps olivaceus 

 Gray, are reported as occurring in the Philippines. The Philip- 

 pines have fourteen well-defined species. They belong to two 

 groups of the genus : one group has the snout rounded in lateral 

 profile, the tail not longer than broad; and the other has the 

 snout with a sharp, cutting edge, slightly hooked, and the tail at 

 least two and one-half times as long as broad. 



Key to the Philippine species of Typhlops Oppel. 



(i\ Snout rounded; nostrils lateral; tail about as long as broad; no 

 subocular. 

 6'. Preocular in contact with 'econd and third labials. 



c\ Nasal cleft arising from preocular; nasal completely divided; 



scales in 20 rows - __ T. braminus (Daudin) (p. 50). 



c^ Nasal cleft arising from second labial; nasal completely divided; 



scales in 26 rows T. luzonensis Taylor (p. 52). 



l)-. Preocular in contact with third labial only; nasal not completely 

 divided. 

 c\ Scales in 28 rows; nasals in contact behind rostral; deep black 



above, yellowish below,-- -- T. jagorii Peters (p. 53). 



C-. Scales in 30 rows; nasals not in contact behind rostral; reddish 



brown above, yellowish below T. ruflcauda (Gray) (p. 54). 



c\ Scales in 26 rows; nasals not in contact behind rostral; reddish 



brown above, lighter below-.- T. riiber Boettger (p. 55). 



c\ Scales in 30 rows; nasals not in contact behind rostral; black 



above, yellowish below T. canlaonensis Taylor (p. 55). 



a'. Snout rounded; nostrils lateral; tail as long as broad; a subocular pres- 

 ent; nasal cleft arising from second labial; nasal not com- 

 pletely divided; scale rows 2.8; nasals not in contact behind 



rostral T. manilffi Taylor (p. 56). 



a'. Snout with a sharp horizontal edge; nostrils lateroinferior; tail at 

 least twice as long as broad ; no subocular. 

 6\ Preocular in contact with second and third labials; nasals not in 

 contact behind rostral. 

 c\ Nasal cleft arising from first labial. 

 cr. Nasal not completely divided. 



e\ Tail two and one-half times as long as broad; scales in 20 to 



22 rows T. olivaceus (Gray) (p. 58). 



e'. Tail three and one-half times as long as broad; scales in 26 



rows T. rugosa Taylor (p. 58). 



d'. Nasal completely divided. 



e\ Tail three times as long as broad; scales in 26 to 28 



rows T. dendrophis sp. nov. (p. 60). 



161465 4 



