I describe a new species of blindsnake of the genus Typhlops from Rossel Island, off the southeastern tip of New Guinea. The new species is a member of the Typhlops ater species group and is characterized by having 18 scale rows, 343 middorsal scales, T-V supralabial-imbrication pattern, a distinct pupil, single subocular scale, and by lacking a presubocular scale. Its closest living relative is probably Typhlops inornatus, known from forested habitats on the nearby mainland of New Guinea. The new species is known from only two specimens from northeastern Rossel Island, and it remains uncertain whether it occurs on adjacent islands of the Louisiade Archipelago.