Joshua's blind snake (Trilepida joshuai) is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to Colombia.
Etymology
The specific name, joshuai, is a reference to Joshua, victor at the Battle of Jericho, in reference to the type locality, Jericó, Antioquia, Colombia.
Geographic range
T. joshuai is found in the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Caldas, and Valle del Cauca.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of T. joshuai is forest, at altitudes of , but it has also been found in urban areas.
Description
T. joshuai is black dorsally, and white ventrally. The total length (including tail) of the holotype is .
Behavior
T. joshuai is terrestrial and fossorial.
Diet
T. joshuai preys upon insect larvae and termites.
Reproduction
T. joshuai is oviparous.
References
Further reading
- , Branch WR, , , Hedges SB (2009). "Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata)". Zootaxa 2244: 1âÂÂ50. (Tricheilostoma joshuai, new combination).
- Dunn ER (1944). "A Review of the Colombian Snakes of the Families Typhlopidae and Leptotyphlopidae". Caldasia 3 (11): 47âÂÂ55. (Leptotyphlops joshuai, new species, pp. 53âÂÂ54, Figures 9âÂÂ10).
- Hedges SB (2011). "The type species of the threadsnake genus Tricheilostoma Jan revisited (Squamata: Leptotyphlopidae)". Zootaxa 3027: 63âÂÂ64. (Trilepida joshuai, new combination, p. 63).
- (2012). "Snakes of an urban-rural landscape in the central Andes of Colombia: species composition, distribution, and natural history". Phyllomedusa 11 (2): 135âÂÂ154.