They are generally black, grey, or blackish-brown and their scales give them a segmented appearance.

Their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness, and hidden behind a protective head scale.

The species which are called thread snakes are so named because of their very narrow, long bodies.

Range: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga), Zambia, Zimbabwe[9]

Range: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe[22]