Argyrophis diardii, commonly known as Diard's blind snake, the Indochinese blind snake, the large blind snake, and the large worm snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. There are two recognized subspecies.
Taxonomy Argyrophis diardii was first described by German herpetologist Hermann Schlegel in 1839, as Typhlops Diardii. The type locality of Schlegel's specimen was "Cochinchina [southern Vietnam]". Saint Girons (1972: 32) described it as "Cochinchina sans certitude [southern Vietnam without certainty]", and Hahn (1980: 56) as "East Indies".
Etymology Both the specific name, diardii, and the common name, "Diard's blindsnake", are in honor of French naturalist Pierre-Médard Diard. xiv + 141 pp. ("Typhlops Diardii ", new species, p. 38). (in German). xiii + 296 pp. (Typhlops diardi, p. 72; Typhlops muelleri, p. 184).
The synonym, Typhlops Mülleri , was named in honor of German naturalist Salomon Müller.
Subspecies Two subspecies of Argyrophis diardii are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies: Argyrophis diardii diardii Argyrophis diardii platyventris (Typhlops diardi platyventris, new subspecies).
Description Argyrophis diardii is heavy-bodied for a blindsnake. It has 22–25 scale rows around the body at midbody. The belly is distinctly flat.
Geographic distribution Argyrophis diardii is found in India (Jalpaiguri-West Bengal, as far west as Dun Valley in Assam), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Nias Island, Sumatra, Web Island (off northwest Sumatra), Bangka, and Borneo.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of Argyrophis diardii are forest, shrubland, and grassland, at elevations of , and it has also been found in agricultural areas.
Diet Argyrophis diardii preys upon earthworms, insect larvae, and adult insects.
Reproduction The mode of reproduction of Argyrophis diardii is uncertain. The species may be either oviparous or ovoviviparous.
References
Further reading
Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Typhlops diardi, pp. 22–23; T. muelleri, p. 25; T. nigroalbus, p. 24; T. schneideri, p. 27). (in German). 170 pp. (in French). Wallach V (2000). "Critical review of some recent descriptions of Pakistani Typhlops by M.S. Khan, 1999 (Serpentes: Typhlopidae)". Hamadryad 25 (2): 129–143.