Nurse's blind snake (Myriopholis nursii) is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is native to easternmost Africa and westernmost Asia.
Etymology
The specific name, nursii, is in honor of English entomologist Charles George Nurse.
Geographic distribution
Myriopholis nursii is native to the southern Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of Myriopholis nursii is savanna, at elevations of , but it has also been found in agricultural areas such as alfalfa fields.
Behavior
Myriopholis nursii is terrestrial and fossorial.
Diet
Myriopholis nursii preys predominately upon ant larvae.
Reproduction
Myriopholis nursii is oviparous.
References
Further reading
- , Branch WR, Trape S, , Hedges SB (2009). "Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of snakes of the family Leptotyphlopidae (Reptilia, Squamata)". Zootaxa 2244: 1âÂÂ50. (Myriopholis nursii, new combination).
- Anderson J (1896). In: Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates IâÂÂXXV. (Glauconia nursii, new species, p. 591).
- (1978). "A Brief Review of the Genus Leptotyphlops (Reptilia, Serpentes, Leptotyphlopidae) of Asia, with Description of a New Species". Journal of Herpetology 12 (4): 477âÂÂ489. (Leptotyphlops blanfordi nursi [sic], new combination).
- Wallach V, Williams KL, Boundy J (2014). Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group. 1,237 pp. . (Leptotyphlops nursii, p. 376).