Morphology of the skull of the white-nosed blindsnake, liotyphlops albirostris (Scolecophidia: Anomalepididae)

This article presents a detailed description and illustration of the skull of Liotyphlops albirostris in comparison to the skulls of Typhlophis squamosus, Leptotyphlops dulcis, and Typhlops jamaicensis, based on high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT). The skull of T squamosus is illustrated and discussed in detail for the first time. A number of uniquely shared derived characters is identified that support the monophyly of the clade Anomalepididae. Anomalepidids retain some features that are plesiomor-phic relative to other scolecophidians, such as the presence of a supratemporal (except in Anomalepis) and ectopterygoid. The homology of the element located posteroventral to the eyeball in anomalepidids and variably referred to as a jugal or postorbital (or a fusion of both in Anomalepis) remains unknown. Scolecophidians exhibit a highly derived skull morphology adapted to head-first burrowing. Both anomalepidids and typhlo-pids evolved a condition known as an "outer shell design," but did so in different ways. Leptotyphlopids combine elements of both the anomalepidid and typhlo-pid snout morphologies.