The Texas Threadsnake is characterized by belly scales that are the same size as the scales on its upper body. The eyes of this subterranean reptile are tiny black dots. Texas Threadsnakes are a uniform pinkish tan color. Males have slightly longer tails than females. Tail very short and blunt. Young look like miniature adults.
Adults normally 12.5-20.3 cm (5-8 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 206223) from Clark County with a total length of 27.0 cm (10¼ inches) collected by Larry Miller on 7 June 1986. The maximum length throughout range is 29.2 cm (11½ inches) (Boundy, 1995; Powell et al., 2016).
This taxon is known from the Permian Prairie and Cimarron Plains. Spends its entire life below ground; occasionally emerges on the ground surface after being washed out by heavy rain. It can sometimes be located by lifting large rocks. Breeding probably occurs in spring but is less dependent than most other snakes on temperature and rainfall because it lives beneath the surface.
Texas Threadsnakes are secretive creatures that frequent ant burrows. They prefer moist areas and sometimes are found in loose soil or sand beneath rocks. Nothing is known of the annual activity cycle of this snake in Kansas. According to Smith (1956), this species is nocturnal and most active each evening between 2000 and 2030 hours. At night, its preferred air temperature ranges from 78° to 82°F, but this snake will become active at 64°F or higher.
Rundquist (1978) reported on an aggregation of eleven Texas Threadsnakes discovered by Richard Plumlee, Kelly Irwin, and Larry Miller under a single thin, flat limestone rock in Clark County on 14 May 1977. An additional 8 specimens were discovered singly (or in pairs) under similar rocks with 20 m of the observation initially described. The reason for the social aggregation is unknown. Rundquist (1998) reported finding a likely male-female pair under the same limestone rock in Barber County on 24 May 1997. Miller (1987) reported finding Texas Threadsnakes in moist soil beneath rocks in Kansas from 3 May to 7 June; his observations, often made after rainfall, took place from Sumner County west to Morton County in the southwestern corner of the state.
Because of its subterranean habits, nothing is known of courtship and mating in this snake in Kansas. Hibbard (1964), working in Meade County, observed that females brood their eggs in small colonies within cavities beneath the ground at depths of 45.7-76.2 cm (18- 30 inches). Two females at one colony had clutches of five and six eggs each. He discovered both clutches plus pregnant females during July.
Texas Threadsnakes feed on ant eggs and termites (Collins, 1993).
This creature uses an interesting defensive technique to withstand attacks by ants. If bitten or attacked, it assumes a ball-like coil and writhes, smearing cloaca) fluid over its body; the fluid repels further ant attacks.
First reported from Kansas by Burt (1935) based on a specimen collected by a "Mr. Rogers" as it was crossing a sidewalk between two oil stations in the town of Lake City, Barber County, on 2 August 1934 just after dark. Burt (op. cit.) added that several other examples were reported from 2 miles north of Lake City on 27 May 1934, two of these specimens (USNM99821-2) are the earliest existing from from Kansas.
Miller (1987) studied this snake in southwest Kansas and reports several new localities including the easternmost in Sumner County. He also relayed reports from Marty Capron of Texas Threadsnakes being discovered in Cowley County between Arkansas City and Winfield, however, no specimens currently exist.
Little is known of the habitat requirements of this taxon in Kansas. It is most frequently discovered under rocks associated with the Permian Nippewalla Group and the Tertiary Ogallala Formation. However, several records have been taken from areas well away from outcropping or surface cover, as they came to the surface following spring and summer thunderstorms. Additionally, specimens have been unearthed in residential gardens.
Burt (1935) reported that on August 2, 1934, Cornelius Rogers found a specimen crossing a sidewalk between two oil stations in the town of Lake City, where the individual was reportedly making its way toward the moderately moist sandy soil in a roadside iris bed. The time of capture was just after dark and the specimen was observed under an electric light. Burt (op. cit.) reported that several other examples were found 2 miles north of Lake City on May 27, 1934.
Listed as a Kansas Threatened species in 1987. Platt et al. (1974) recommended discontinued use of pesticides and limited mining in areas where this snake occurs. Predators of this reptile include other snakes, birds, and small mammals. No recovery plan has been completed for this species.
As defined by Kansas Administrative Regulations, critical habitats include those areas documented as currently supporting self-sustaining population(s) of any threatened or endangered species of wildlife as well as those areas determined by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism to be essential for the conservation of any threatened or endangered species of wildlife.
The following counties contain critical habitat for the Texas Threadsnake: Barber, Clark, Comanche, Harper, Kiowa, Meade, Morton, and Sumner.
Dixon and Vaughan (2003) in recognizing R. dissecta as a separate species from R. myopica. These authors based the recognition of these as two separate taxa primarily on their supposed differences in dorsal color, pinkish in R. dissecta and brown to black in R. myopica. Klauber (1940) reports specimens of R. dissecta ranging from pale to medium brown. Flores-Villela et al. (2022) have examined additional specimens of R. dissecta not seen by Dixon and Vaughan (2003), and they observed grey (e.g., UTA R-54613) and brown (UTA R-45091) dorsal colors. They also observed pinkish (UTA R-3149) and medium brown (UTA R-54555) specimens of R. myopica from Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, respectively. The number of middorsal scales was also stated by Dixon and Vaughan (2003) as significant in differentiating these taxa. Examination of additional material considerably expands the lower limit in the range of these scales for R. dissecta, from 220 to 213, providing considerable overlap between R. dissecta and R. myopica. Based on the lack of differences between the two taxa, Flores-Villela et al. (2022) consider R. dissecta a junior synonym of R. dulcis (see their Table 2).
References
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