Lazell's Blind Snake

Scientific Name: Typhlops lazelli¹⁾

Chinese Name: 拉氏盲蛇

Endemic?: Yes (Year of Discovery: 1988, Discoverer: Sandra Brown²⁾

IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered³⁾

Distribution?:

One adult female collected from St. Louis School Pokfulam in 1988 by Sandra Brown, and one juvenile male was collected at the campus of the University of Hong Kong on 10 Dec 1992 by Michael Wai-Neng Lau⁴⁾.

Physical Description:

This snake is non-vemomous⁵⁾. The head round is round from the dorsal view, and is not distinct from the neck⁶⁾. The anterior snout, chin and throat are white⁷⁾. The eyes are barely visible, resembling a vague pigmented spot⁸⁾. The tail exhibits an abrupt taper near its tip⁹⁾. It lacks an apical spine, with the tail terminus covered with an obtusely pointed cone¹⁰⁾. There is data on the length from only one specimen: 158 mm (Snot-Vent Length: 155.2 mm; Tail length: 2.8 mm)¹¹⁾.

Habitat:

The only two specimens ever collected were found in leaf litter in a concrete drainage ditch–they were presumably washed down from the forested slope above the drain by rain¹²⁾.

Sightings:

See “Distribution” above.

Contributing authors: