Range extension for the Costa Rican Blindsnake, Amerotyphlops costaricensis (Jiménez & Savage, 1962) (Serpentes, Typhlopidae)

Abstract

Amerotyphlops. costaricensis is difficult to observe in the field and is considered a rare species. There are fewer than ten individuals deposited in museum collections, representing roughly one population in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and three in Honduras. Recently, we found two specimens of A. costaricensis in Costa Rica that to date represent the southernmost localities of the species, extending its distribution to a new mountain range. We found the new specimens in the surroundings of the towns of Cervantes, Cantón Alvarado, and Cachí, Cantón Paraíso, both of which are located in the province of Cartago, Costa Rica .