The unexpected discovery of blind snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) in Micronesia: Two new species of Ramphotyphlops from the Caroline Islands
Two new blind snakes in the genus Ramphotyphlops are described from Ulithi ( R. hatmaliyeb sp. nov. ) and Ant Atoll ( R. adocetus sp. nov. ) in the Caroline Islands, the first blind snake species known from Micronesia east of Palau (excluding Ramphotyphlops braminus ). Both species are unusual in being known only from small, low-lying atolls. They can be distinguished from other Ramphotyphlops by the combination of 22 scale rows over the length of the body; a wedge-shaped snout, without a keratinized keel; and a broad, pyriform ( R. adocetus ) or ovate ( R. hatmaliyeb ) rostral scale.
Caroline Islands↗