Though previously recorded on
St. Lucia and
Barbados, specimens identified to those islands were described in 2008 as separate species, L. breuili and L. carlae. A specimen identified as from
Guadeloupe was reported by Duméril and Bibron (1844:331), but none are known from that island. The
type locality given is "Vaterland Martinique."[2]
Description
It is dark brown with two yellow stripes along its sides. It was once known as the world's smallest snake, being small enough to slither through a
pencil if the
lead were removed. Its typical length is 11 cm (4.5 in).[3] However, the newly described L. carlae (Hedges, 2008) is reported to be even smaller.[4]
^
abMcDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp.
ISBN1-893777-00-6 (series).
ISBN1-893777-01-4 (volume).