Fred Kraus - Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A ۴۸۱۰۹

I describe a new species of blindsnake of the genus Ramphotyphlops Fitzinger, ۱۸۴۳, from Woodlark Island, off the southeastern tip of New Guinea. The new species is a member of the R. flaviventer (Peters, ۱۸۶۴) group and is characterized by a unique combination of number of longitudinal scale rows, details of the shape of the rostral scale, color pattern, and shape of the tail spine.  The nearest related species (R. depressus Peters, ۱۸۸۰) in this group occurs ۳۸۰ km to the northeast from the new species, and the remaining species of the group lie no closer than ۲۵۷۰ km distant. The new species seems most similar morphologically to relatives from far western New Guinea, but this could be due to homoplasy or plesiomorphy. The species seems common in the widespread mature secondary forest that occurs across the island, but non-traditional land tenure and repeated outside proposals to deforest much of the island pose a continuing series of threats to this and other endemic species on Woodlark.

Blindsnake, conservation threats, endemism, Melanesia, Milne Bay Islands