Identification:
The sand blind snake is small, cylindrical, and slender, with a pale gray coloration and irregular black or dark brown spots scattered across all dorsal scales, extending from the head to near the tail tip. Two brown stripes are present on the scales adjacent to the parietal scales, extending down the cheeks. A brown, inverted-cup-shaped marking originates from the median parietal scale, extending and widening towards the nape. The snout is narrow, triangular, and pointed at the apex; the snout tip is expanded and longer than the lower jaw. The nostrils are large and oval-shaped. The eyes are relatively small, approximately 0.17 times the head length, with round pupils. There are 17 dorsal scale rows; 6-8 supralabial scales on each side and 5-6 infralabial scales. The ventral scales number 131-144, and are pale pink. There are 36-60 subcaudal scales (36-40 in females, 58-60 in males).
Biology and Ecology:
This new species was described following morphological comparisons with other Oligodon species distributed in the region. The species name is an adjective derived from the Latin word “arena,” meaning “sand,” and “arenarius,” meaning “living in sand,” which reflects its sandy coastal habitat and its ability to move quickly on the sand. It inhabits semi-arid forests, dry dipterocarp forests, and coastal sand dunes.