Bootlace Snake
Scientific name: Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803)
Overview
Indotyphlops braminus, commonly known as the brahminy blind snake, is a non-venomous blind snake species, found mostly in Africa and Asia, and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. It is a completely fossorial reptile, with habits and appearance similar to an earthworm, for which it is often mistaken and shares convergent evolution with, although close examination reveals tiny scales and eyes rather than the annular segments characteristic of a true earthworm. The species is parthenogenetic and all known specimens have been female. The specific name is a Latinized form of the word Brahmin. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.
From the Wikipedia article “Indotyphlops braminus”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa: Egypt [HR 30: 236; HR 32: 11], Libya, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa, Somalia, Cameroon, Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon, Central African Repu.
Common names
Also known in English as Brahminy blindsnake, Flowerpot Snake, Khorat Blind Snake [khoratensis], Khorat Worm Snake.
Names in other languages (5)
- Chinese
- 钩盲蛇
- German
- Brahmanen-Wurmschlange, Khorat-Blindschlange [khoratensis]
- Indonesian
- Ular kawat biasa
- Japanese
- ブラーミニメクラヘビ
- Spanish
- Culebrilla Ciega
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q22299988, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Indotyphlops braminus”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Hinrich Kaiser and Mark O’Shea, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026