Afrotyphlops Broadley & Wallach 2009
Creators: name: Broadley, Donald G.
name: Wallach, Van
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Typhlopidae
Afrotyphlops

description: 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
description: Published as part of Broadley, Donald G. & Wallach, Van, 2009, 2255, pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 2255 on pages 76-77