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Brahminy Blind Snake - Ramphotyphlops braminus

Florida's Nonnative Wildlife. Species detail.

First year: 1979

Extirpated year:

Established status: Populations are confirmed breeding and apparently self-sustaining for 10 or more consecutive years.

Estimated Florida range: 11 counties At least 10 years, 4 counties Less than 10 years, 5 counties Not reported breeding

Statewide trend: Expanding

Threats to natives: None known or likely.

Species Account: This is the most widespread terrestrial snake species in the world due to its parthenogenetic mode of reproduction (all-female populations) and close association with humans (Wynn et al. 1987). It might be native to Asia but has been spread via the shipment of potted plants throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world. This is a small, very slender snake that resembles a wiry worm and burrows in loose moist soil, primarily for termites and ant pupae. It can be found in large numbers under surface debris (Bartlett 1997), and it has been found in Dade County pine rocklands under the bark and rotten interiors of standing dead slash pine trees (K. M. Enge, FFWCC, Quincy, personal observation). It is less than 16.5 cm (6 in) long, has a blunt rounded tail that resembles the head, has no constriction at the neck, and has vestigial eyes that appear as black dots beneath translucent scales. The back is dark gray, brown, or black. The belly is lighter, and white to buffy yellow coloration may be present on the snout, lower lips, chin, throat, tail tip, and anal area (Conant and Collins 1991).

Habitats: Exotic plant community, Low density suburban development, areas peripheral to core urban areas, and small towns, Agricultural habitat, Recently disturbed, early successional community, Rockland Hammock, Pine Rockland, Flatwoods, Mesic Hammocks

click here for description of the regions

Region	First Year	Extirpated Year	Breeding status	Notes
SOUTH	1982		At least 10 years

County	First Year	Extirpated Year	Breeding status	Notes
ALACHUA	1998		Not reported breeding	Gainesville (Townsend et al. 2002)
BROWARD	2000		Less than 10 years	Davie (Krysko et al. 2000)
COLLIER	2001		Less than 10 years	Marco Island (Krysko et al., in press)
DADE	1987		At least 10 years	Coral Gables (Wynn et al. 1987)
HIGHLANDS	1993		Less than 10 years	Lake Placid (Meshaka 1994)
LEE	1991		At least 10 years	Fort Myers (Conant and Collins 1991)
LEON	1999		Not reported breeding	Two road-killed specimens found in Killearn Estates, Tallahassee (D. G. Cook, 1999, FFWCC, Tallahassee, personal communication)
MONROE	1982		At least 10 years	Old Town, Key West (Ehrig 1990)
ORANGE	2000		Less than 10 years	Winter Park (Ernst and Brown 2000)
PALM BEACH	1987		At least 10 years	16 km W of South Bay (Delorey and Mushinsky 1987)
PINELLAS	1992		Less than 10 years	St. Petersburg (Crawford and Somma 1993)
SEMINOLE	1998		Not reported breeding	Casselberry (Owen et al. 1998)
BREVARD	2004		Not reported breeding	West Melbourne (Grace and Van Dyke 2004)
HILLSBOROUGH	2003		Less than 10 years	Tampa (Hennessy and Michalak 2004)
CITRUS	2002		Not reported breeding	Inverness (Krysko et al., in press)

References

Austin, D. F., and A. Schwartz. 1975. Another exotic amphibian in Florida, Eleutherodactylus coqui. Copeia 1975:188.

Bartlett, D. 1997. A search for the obscure. Reptiles Magazine 5(7):32–38.

Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to amphibians and reptiles of eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 450pp.

Crawford, D. M., and L. A. Somma. 1993. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 24:68.

Delorey, C. J., and H. R. Mushinsky. 1987. Ramphotyphlops bramina (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 18:56.

Ehrig, R. W. 1990. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 21:41.

Ernst, C. H., and C. W. Brown. 2000. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 31:256.

Grace, M. S., and J. U. Van Dyke. 2004. Geographic distribution: Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 35:293-294.

Hennessy, K. C., and M. Michalak. 2004. Geographic distribution: Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 35:193.

Krysko, K. L., J. N. Decker, and A. T. Reppas. 2000. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 31:256.

Krysko, K. L., K. M. Enge, J. H. Townsend, E. M. Langan, S. A. Johnson, and T. S. Campell. In Press. New county records of amphibians and reptiles from Florida. Herpetological Review.

Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 1994. Ramphotyphlops braminus Brahminy blind snake. Herpetological Review 25:34.

Owen, R. D., D. T. Bowman, Jr., and S. A. Johnson. 1998. Ramphotyphlops braminus (Brahminy blind snake). Herpetological Review 29:115.

Wynn, A. H., C. J. Cole, and A. L. Gardner. 1987. Apparent triploidy in the unisexual Brahminy blind snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus. American Museum Novitates 2868:1-7.

Links to more information

Florida Museum of Natural History info

Ohio public library info

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