NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-headed Worm Snake
Malayotyphlops ruficauda (Gray, 1845)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Malayotyphlops ruficauda, commonly known as brown blind snake or red-headed worm snake, is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found on the islands of Luzon, Tablas and Marinduque.
Wikipedia contributors, Malayotyphlops ruficauda; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:33:45.610142+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Malayotyphlops ruficauda (Gray, 1845)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1845)
- Common name
- Red-headed Worm Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Typhlopidae
- Genus
- Malayotyphlops
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderScolecophidia Cope, 1864
- familyTyphlopidae
- genusMalayotyphlops
- speciesMalayotyphlops ruficauda (Gray, 1845)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Malayotyphlops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor's Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops canlaonensis (Taylor, 1917) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Boenjoe Island Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops koekkoeki (Brongersma, 1934) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kei Island Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops kraalii (Doria, 1874) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Luzon Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops luzonensis (Taylor, 1919) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Red Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops ruber (Boettger, 1897) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Andy’s Blind SnakeMalayotyphlops andyi Wynn, Diesmos & Brown, 2016 | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brown-backed Blind SnakeMalayotyphlops castanotus (Wynn & Leviton, 1993) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Collared Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops collaris (Wynn & Leviton, 1993) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cebu Island Worm SnakeMalayotyphlops hypogius (Savage, 1950) | TyphlopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Typhlops dichromatus Jan ex Jan & Sordelli, 1864 Jan ex Jan & Sordelli, 1864 | synonym |
| Anilios ruficauda Gray, 1845 Gray, 1845 | synonym |
| Typhlops jagorii Peters, 1861 Peters, 1861 | synonym |
| Typhlops petersii Steindachner, 1867 Steindachner, 1867 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Malayotyphlops&species=ruficauda Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3XMDV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.