
any of various harmless burrowing snakes of wormlike appearance. This name is often given to blind snakes of the family Typhlopidae. The American worm snake (
Carphophis amoena), of the eastern United States, of the family Colubridae, is brown or blackish, with a pink belly. Adults usually are less than 25 cm (10 inches) long. The Oriental worm snakes of the genus
Trachischium resemble the American species.