Leptotyphlops dulcis (Fitzinger, 1843) extant, skull length ~4mm, commonly referred to as the Texas blind snake. Other species are called threadsnakes was derived from a sister to Uropeltis and was a sister to Anomochilus.

Distinct from Anomochlis, the skull of Leptotyphlops has further reduced the maxilla and dentary. The mandible hinge is used less and the intramandibular joints are used more, unlike any other tetrapod.

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Kley (2001) describes it like this: "bilaterally synchronous flexions of the lower jaw serve to ratchet prey into and through the mouth." In other words, they rake their prey (ant and termite larvae) in. The quadrates are suspended via sliding articulations with the stapedes and do not articulate directly with the braincase.

GIF movie of Leptotyphlops jaws in motion based on Kley (2001). The jaws pull ant larvae into the jaws as shown in this series of videos.

Liotyphlops albirostris (originally Rhinotyphlops Peters 1857, 1881; Rieppel, Kley and Maisano 2009) is the extant white-nosed blind snake. Reversals give this genus a robust postfrontal (orange) and a vestigial fused jugal + postorbital (a reversal. Novel traits include a tall palatine, a tall articular and an unfused parietal. The elongate squamosal (magenta) is on top of the long quadrate. The supratemporal (green) is a vestige. The toothless maxilla (green) premaxiall (yellow) are transverse. The dentary has one long, sharp tooth and the others are tiny. The toothy and mobile palatine articulates with the postfrontal and nasal, a first for vertebrates.

Typhlops jamaicensis (Shaw 1802) is the extant Jamaican blind snake, a tiny burrowing form smaller than many worms. Note the transitional semi-stretched out quadrate, toothless jaws and toothy, rotating palatine. The

Brock GT 1932. The skull of Leptotyphlops (Glauconia) nigricans. Anatomischer Anzeiger 73: 199-204.

Fitzinger LJ 1843. Systema reptilium. Fasciculus Primus. Vienna.

Kley NJ 2001. Prey transport mechanisms in blindsnakes and the evolution of unilateral feeding systems in snakes. American Zoologist 41: 1321-1337.

Kley NJ 2006. Morphology of the lower jaw and suspensorium in the Texas blindsnake, Leptotyphlops dulcis (Scolecophidia: Leptotyphlopidae). Journal of Morphology 267(4):494-515. online pdf

Peters W 1857, 1881. Einige herpetologische Mittheilungen. 1. Uebersicht der zu den Familien der Typhlopes und Stenostomi gehörigen Gattungen oder Untergattungen. Sitzungberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1881 (4): 69-71. (Liotyphlops, new genus, p. 69).

Rieppel 0, Kley NJ and Maisano JA 2009. Morphology of the skull of the white-nosed blindsnake, Liotyphlops albirostris (Scolecophidia: Anomalepididae. Journal of Morphology, 270, 536-557.

Shaw G 1802. General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History. Vol.3, part 2. G. Kearsley, Thomas Davison, London: 313-615.

digimorph/Leptotyphlops
wiki/Leptotyphlops
digimorph/Liotyphlops
wiki/Liotyphlops
digimorph/Typhlops
wiki/Typhlops