Afrotyphlops Broadley & Wallach 2009

Key to the species of Afrotyphlops in eastern and southern Africa (note: due to variation in most diagnostic characters, some species appear twice in this key) 1a. A subocular scale usually separates preocular from second and third labials............................................................ 2 1b. No subocular scale separating preocular from second and third labials..................................................................... 3 2a. A blue-grey lineolate dorsal pattern, with or without superimposed black blotches; midbody scale rows 26–28; middorsals 404–463; Usambara Mt ............................................................................................................. A. gierrai 2b. Dorsum uniform black or blotched black and white; midbody scale rows 30–34; middorsals 464–542; Udzungwa, Ukaguru, and Uluguru Mts. ............................................................................................................... A. nigrocandidus 3a. Middorsals less than 310; less than 200 mm in total length....................................................................................... 4 3b. Middorsals more than 310; usually more than 200 mm in total length...................................................................... 5 4a. Midbody scale rows 22–26; middorsals 232–286; uniform grey-brown to black above and below, yellow patches below head and posterior venter .............................................................................................................. A. fornasinii 4b. Midbody scale rows 30; middorsals 287–291; dorsum lineolate, venter immaculate...................... A. nanus sp. nov. 5a. Preocular not contacting supralabials; dorsal scales in 28 rows throughout (no reductions caudally); inferior nasal suture arising from between first and second infralabials ....................................................................... A. kaimosae 5b. Preocular contacting supralabials; dorsal scale rows with some reductions caudally; inferior nasal suture arising from first supralabial and/or rostral........................................................................................................................... 6 6a. Supraocular with lateral apex between ocular and preocular..................................................................................... 7 6b. Supraocular with lateral apex between preocular and nasal.................................................................................... 12 7a. Ocular overlapped by second supralabial (T-0) ........................................................................................... A. bibronii 7b. Ocular not overlapped by second supralabial (T-X).................................................................................................. 8 8a. Preocular usually overlapped by second supralabial................................................................................................. 9 8b. Preocular not overlapped by second supralabial...................................................................................................... 11 9a. Eye beneath ocular................................................................................................................................................... 10 9b. Eye beneath preocular or ocular/preocular border .................................................................................. A. angolensis 10a. Midbody scale rows 28–32; eye beneath ocular/preocular border; Ethiopian highlands ......................... A. blanfordii 10b. Midbody scale rows 26–28; eye beneath preocular; Congo Basin forests............................................. A. steinhausi 11a. Dorsum heavily blotched with black, venter immaculate; midbody scale rows 26–30; supraoculars transverse....... .................................................................................................................................................................. A. congestus 11b. Dorsum with lineate or punctate pattern, venter blotched or spotted like dorsum; midbody scale rows 30–34; supraoculars oblique ................................................................................................................................. A. punctatus 12a. Preocular overlapped by second supralabial............................................................................................................. 13 12b. Preocular not overlapped by second supralabial...................................................................................................... 15 13a. Midbody scale rows 30–34; supraocular wedged between ocular and preocular; venter pigmented like dorsum...... .................................................................................................................................................................. A. punctatus 13b. Midbody scale rows 22–26; supraocular wedged between preocular and nasal; venter immaculate..................... 14 14a. Supraocular larger than frontal.............................................................................................................. A. rondoensis 14b. Frontal larger than supraocular ................................................................................................................... A. schmidti 15a. Ocular overlapped by second supralabial (T-II)....................................................................................................... 16 15b. Ocular not overlapped by second supralabial (T-X)................................................................................................ 17 16a. Midbody scale rows 26–32 [eye beneath ocular/preocular border; supraocular transverse] .................... A. lineolatus 16b. Midbody scale rows 22–24; [eye beneath ocular shield; supraocular oblique] .................................. A. tanganicanus 17a. Dorsum heavily blotched with black; venter immaculate; midbody scale rows 26–28 ...................... A. usambaricus 17b. Dorsum, and often venter, usually lineolate or spotted........................................................................................... 18 18a. Midbody scale rows 26–32 ....................................................................................................................... A. lineolatus 18b. Midbody scale rows 22–26....................................................................................................................................... 19 19a. Ocular overlapped (or nearly so) by second supralabial; SE Tanzania.............................................. A. tanganicanus 19b. Preocular overlapped (or nearly so) by second supralabial; E Angola, SE Democratic Republic of the Congo, N Zambia ........................................................................................................................................................ A. schmidti
Published as part of Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, Van, 2009, 2255, pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 2255 on pages 76-77