Madatyphlops cariei (Hoffstetter's Worm Snake)

[sebbe67]

Known only from Mauritius, this species has not been recorded since the 17th century.

The introduction of predatory species to the island has been blamed for the extinction of this species.

www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/22607/all

[another specialist]

Thats strange there was definately a thread for this species but it seems to of disappeared?

[another specialist]

Typhlops cariei is a harmless blind snake species found in Mauritius. It is known only from recent fossils[1] and is considered to be extinct. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2]

Geographic range

Found in only on the island of Mauritius. The type locality given is "Mare aux Singes (Ile Maurice)" [Island of Mauritius, Indian Ocean].[1]

[edit] Conservation status

This species is classified as Extinct (EX) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v2.3, 1994).[3] Species are listed as such when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. Year assessed: 1996.[4]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhlops_cariei

[another specialist]

Synonyms

* Typhlops cariei HOFFSTETTER 1946
* Typhlops cariei — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 94

Locations

* Mauritius (fossil)

Types

* Holotype: MNHN MAU 1000

Comments

* fossil species. Reports from Reunion are questionable (fide Blanc 1971 and Glaw, pers. comm.)

www.tigr.org/reptiles/species.php?genus=Typhlops&species=cariei

[Melanie]

T. cariei is known from seven trunk vertebrae discovered in Subrecent deposits (Note: Mare Aux Songes) on Mauritius. Given that these species were described solely on the basis of vertebral morphology, their placement in the genus Typhlops must be considered tentative.

www.answers.com/topic/typhlopidae-1

[Sebbe]

If, as proposed by Cheke (2010), the type locality of Cathetorhinus melanocephalus is on Mauritius, this name is likely to be a senior synonym of the only native blindsnake known from Mauritius, Madatyphlops cairei. This author cautions, however, that it is "not likely to be easy" to demonstrate a connection between the two, as M. cairei is known only from subfossil remains from a site with poor DNA preservation and the C. melanorhinus holotype has been preserved in alcohol for more than 200 years.

This species is known only from fossil vertebrae collected "Around 1900" (Cheke 2010). If this is the species of "very small snake" reported in an 1803 expedition account (Cheke 2010) it evidently survived as late as the early 19th century, but no evidence has been found that a native blindsnake survives on Mauritius.

Listed as Extinct on the basis that this species is known only from subfossil remains. It is included on the Red List because its extinction is presumed to have occurred after 1500, likely as a consequence of species introductions that are known to have driven many other Mauritian reptiles to extinction, however there are no historical accounts that can be attributed to this species with certainty although an early 19th century report of a very small snake may represent a blindsnake (and if so is presumably referable to this species as this predates the first known evidence of an introduced blindsnake on Mauritius).

www.iucnredlist.org/species/22607/166933641#assessment-information