The Typhlopidae, mainly composed of the genus Typhlops, with about one hundred species, are undoubtedly the last living descendants of formerly cosmopolitan, rather archaic, snakes, which in adaptation to their burrowing life and insectivorous diet have undergone degradation. They are still widely distributed in all tropical and sub-tropical countries, some on the solitary Christmas Island, but not in New Zealand. One species, T. vermicularis, inhabits the Balkan Peninsula and South-West Asia. It is brown above, yellowish below, and reaches a length of about 10 inches. The tail is extremely short and ends in a horny spine. T. braminus is widely distributed in Southern Asia, the Malay Islands, the islands in the Indian Ocean and in Southern Africa.
Fam. 2. Glauconiidae.–In most respects resembling the Typhlopidae, but the maxillaries retain their normal position and are toothless, teeth being restricted to the lower jaw, which is stout and short. The pelvic girdle and the hind-limbs show the least reduction found in any recent Snakes; in the pelvis the ilia, pubes, and ischia can still be distinguished, the last even retaining their symphysis; there are also vestiges of femurs. About thirty species, nearly all belonging to the genus Glauconia, are found in South-Western Asia, Africa, and the warmer parts of America, including the West Indies.
Fam. 3. Ilysiidae.–The scales of the cylindrical body are smooth and small, those on the ventral side are scarcely larger. The tail is extremely short and blunt. The head is very small, not distinct from the neck. The gape of the mouth is very narrow. Teeth are carried by the mandibles, the pterygoids, palatines, maxillaries, and one or two or more by the premaxillae. The endopterygoids are short. An important cranial feature is the short quadrates, which stand rather vertically and are connected with the cranium by the squamosals; these are very small and are firmly wedged in between the upper ends of the quadrates and the pro-otic, lateral, and supra-occipital bones; now forming part of the cranial wall. Vestiges of the pelvis and hind-limbs are very incomplete, and terminate in claw-like spurs, protruding between the scales on either side of the vent. The eyes are very small, and are either free or covered by transparent shields. The few, scarcely half-a-dozen, species are found in South America (Ilysia) and in Ceylon, the Malay Islands, and Indo-China.
Ilysia (Tortrix) scytale, the Coral-Snake of Tropical South America, is a beautiful coral-red with black rings. On account of its beauty, perfectly harmless nature, and for "cooling purposes," this snake, which grows to nearly a yard in length, is sometimes worn as a necklace by native ladies. All the Ilysiidae lead a partly burrowing life, live chiefly upon worms, insects, and little Typhlopidae, and are viviparous.
Fam. 4. Uropeltidae.–Burrowing snakes of Ceylon and Southern India, with a short and rigid cylindrical body and a very short tail, which ends in a large peculiar shield, often obliquely truncated. The scales of the body are smooth, and are little larger on the belly; the coloration is mostly very beautiful. The eyes are very small.
The Uropeltidae are somewhat intermediate between the Ilysiidae, Glauconiidae, and Boidae. The pterygoids do not reach the quadrates; but ectopterygoids are present; the quadrates are very small and directly attached to the skull, squamosals being absent. Teeth are carried by the mandibles and by the maxillaries, which are normal in their position. There are no vestiges of hind-limbs or of the pelvis. The Uropeltidae, of which about forty species are known, are viviparous, burrow in the ground, and frequent damp localities, preferring mountain-forests. The use of the characteristic tail-shield is not clear; perhaps it assists these rather rigid creatures in digging, by being pressed against the ground.
Uropeltis.–The tail is obliquely truncated, ending in a roundish, flat shield.
U. grandis s. philippinus.–The latter name seems to have misled W. Marshall[[182]] into including the Philippine Islands in the range of the family, a mistake which is sure to be propagated. The species, the only one of the genus, is confined to Ceylon; it is blackish above, yellow below, frequently with small yellow spots above and brown spots on the under surface. It grows to about 18 inches in length.
Rhinophis.–The tail-shield is convex and the snout is pointed. Rh. sanguineus of Southern India is black above with a bluish gloss, sometimes with small pale specks; the belly and several of the lateral series of scales are bright red, spotted with black. The tail-shield is black and red.
