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Typhlops brongersmianus Vanzolini, 1976 (Squamata,

Serpentes, Typhlopidae) is a widespread species inSouth America, occurring in several habitats (Dixon and

Hendricks, 1979; Rodrigues and Juncá, 2002). In Brazil,

its distribution is known for scattered but widespread

localities, and in the southeast, T. brongersmianus was

registered in two localities in São Paulo (Barretos and

Emas) and one in Minas Gerais (Frutal), further on

 being listed for the state of Rio de Janeiro in Restinga

de Jurubatiba (Rocha and Van Sluys, 2005).

The snake was described in 1972 as Typhlops

brongersmai   based on the holotype from “Barra deItaipe, Ilheus, Bahia [Brasil]” (Vanzolini, 1972). Four 

years later, in 1976, the name T. brongersmai was

replaced by T. brongersmianus (Vanzolini, 1976) since

the former name was preoccupied by Typhlops forensis

brongersmai Mertens, 1929.

Here we present new records of  Typhlops

brongersmianus for southeastern Brazil, which expands

the geographic distribution previously known for the

species in that region, and present a map with these

geographic records. New records were obtained based on eld samplings

and analysis of scientic collections. The samplings

took place in Núcleo Experimental de Iguaba Grande(NEIG), Iguaba Grande Municipality, Rio de Janeiro

(22°51`S, 42°10`W), from July 2008 to August 2009,

using the methods of direct search and pitfall traps.

The area represents a restinga remanescent in Ararua-

ma lagoon system, with predominant steppe savannah

vegetation (Silveira Primo and Bizerril, 2000).

We analyzed the Coleção de Répteis do Museu Naci-

onal, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ),

obtaining records of  Typhlops brongersmianus from

southeastern Brazil.The taxonomic identication was made based on the

diagnosis of Dixon and Hendricks (1979). We also

 present a map with new geographic records. Geogra-

  phic coordinates were obtained with Google Earth

 program.

During the herpetological fauna survey in NEIG,

municipality of Iguaba Grande, Rio de Janeiro (22°51`S,

42° 10`W) three specimens of Typhlops brongersmianus

were collected. In November 2008 and March 2009,

two specimens were captured in a bushy restinga areawith sandy ground, 20 meters away from Araruama`s

lagoon margin. In 2009, the third specimen (gure 1)

was captured in an impacted area with grassy covering,

approximately 100 meters away from the margin. All

three specimens were captured in pitfall traps , and were

 preserved and deposited in the MNRJ collection (MNRJ

17703, MNRJ 17482, MNRJ 18507).

Twelve additional specimens of  Typhlops

brongersmianus were found in the MNRJ collection,

from the following localities: state of Rio deJaneiro: MNRJ 17932 – municipality of Macaé

(22°22´S, 41°47´W); MNRJ 18983 – municipality

of Niterói (22º52’S, 43°06’W); MNRJ 17434, 17435

  – municipality of São João da Barra, Porto do Açú

(21°38´S, 41°03W); MNRJ 15647 – Restinga de

Herpetology Notes, volume 3: 247-248 (2010) (published online on 07 August 2010)

 New records of Typhlops brongersmianus (Serpentes, Typhlopidae)

in southeastern Brazil

Angele Reis Martins¹*, Adriano Lima Silveira², Sávio Freire Bruno³

1 Universidade Federal Fluminense, Centro de Estudos Gerais,

Instituto de Biologia. Campus do Valonguinho, Centro,

 Niterói, RJ CEP 24020-140;

e-mail: angelemartins@hotmail.com

2 Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional,

Departamento de Vertebrados, Setor de Herpetologia. Quinta

da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, CEP 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro,

RJ, Brazil; e-mail: biosilveira@yahoo.com.br 

3 Universidade Federal Fluminense, Faculdade de Veterinária,

Santa Rosa. Rua Vital Brazil Filho, 64, Santa Rosa, CEP

24230-340, Niterói, RJ, Brasil;

e-mail: saviofreirebruno@hotmail.com

* corresponding author 

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Angele Reis Martins et al.248

Jurubatiba (22°12´S, 41°29´W; without municipality in

register book); state of Espírito Santo: MNRJ 4855, 4907

 – municipality of Aracruz (19°49’S, 40°16’W); MNRJ

12917 – municipality of Sooretoma, Juerana (19°11’S,

40°05’W); MNRJ 12918, 12919, 13222 – municipality

of Linhares (19°23’S, 40°04’W); state of Minas Gerais:MNRJ 14130 – municipality of Alvorada de Minas,

Itapanhoacanga (18°43’S, 43°22’W) (gure 2). The

distribution of T. brongersmianus in southeastern Brazil

including these new records is shown in gure 2.

These new localities ll in the distribution gap of 

Typhlops brongersmianus between the previously

known localities in southeastern and northern Brazil.

They represent the rst species records for the state of 

Espírito Santo and the second record for the states of 

Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.All new recorded localities belong to the Atlantic Forest

domain. In Minas Gerais, Typhlops brongersmianus was

collected in semideciduous stational forest area, on Rio

de Janeiro in restinga formations, and on Espírito Santo

in tropical rain forest and restinga.

Acknowledgements. We are greatful to Luiz Freire for help ineld samplings.

References

Dixon, J.R., Hendricks, F.S. (1979): The wormsnakes (Fam-

ily Typhlopidae) of the Neotropics, exclusive of the Antilles.

Zool. Verh. 173: 1-39.

Mertens, R. (1929): Bemerkungen über Typhlops forensis, seine

Rassen und Seine verbreitung. TreubiaTreubia 11: 293-296.

Rocha, C.F.D., Van Sluys, M. (2005): Herpetofaunas de restin-

gas. In: Herpetologia no Brasil II, p. 44-65. Nascimento, L.B.,

Oliveira, M.E., Eds., Belo Horizonte, Sociedade Brasileira deHerpetologia.

Rodrigues, M.T., Juncá, F.A. (2002): Herpetofauna of the Quater-

nary sand dune of the middle Rio São Francisco: Bahia: Brazil.

VII. Typhlops amoipira, sp.n., a possible relative of Typhlops

 yonenagae (Serpentes, Typhlopidae). Pap.Avul. Zool.Pap. Avul. Zool. 42: 325-

333.

Silveira Primo, P.B., Bizerril, C.R.S.F. (2000): Perl Ambiental

do Maior Ecossistema Lagunar Hipersalino do Mundo. Rio de

Janeiro, Semads.

Vanzolini, P.E. (1972): Typhlops brongersmai spec. nov. from the

coast of Bahia, Brasil (Serpentes, Typhlopidae). Zool. Med-Med-

edel. 47(3): 27-29.

Vanzolini, P.E. (1976): Typhlops brongersmianus, a new name for 

Typhlops brongersmai Vanzolini, 1972, preoccupied (Serpen-

tes, Typhlopidae). Pap. Avul. Zool. 29: 247.

Figure 1. Juvenile specimen of  Typhlops brongersmianus 

collected in Iguaba Grande, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern

Brazil (MNRJ 18507).

Figure 2. Geographic distribution of Typhlops brongersmianus 

in southeastern Brazil. New records (circles): Minas Geraisstate: 1) Alvorada de Minas, Itapanhoacanga; Espírito Santo

state: 2) Sooretama, Juerana, 3) Linhares, 4) Aracruz; Rio de

Janeiro state: 5) São João da Barra, Porto do Açú, 6) Macaé,

7) NEIG, Iguaba Grande, 8) Niterói. Museum records and

literature records (triangles): Rio de Janeiro state: 9) Restinga

de Jurubatiba. Literature records (squares): São Paulo state:

10) Cachoeiras de Emas, 11) Barretos; Minas Gerais state: 12)

Frutal.

 Accepted by Zoltán T. Nagy