| Ahaetuliinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ahaetulla sp. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Ahaetuliinae Figueroa, McKelvy, Grismer, Bell, and Lailvaux, 2016 |
| Genera | |
The Ahaetuliinae are a subfamily of vine snakes within the family Colubridae that was erected in 2016. They are found from South and Southeast Asia through to Australia.
The name comes from the genus Ahaetulla , which gets its name from the Sri Lankan Sinhalese language words ahaetulla/ahata gulla/as gulla, meaning “eye plucker” or “eye picker”, because of the belief that they pluck out the eyes of humans, as first reported by the Portuguese traveler João Ribeiro in 1685. [2] [3]
Ahaetuliinae was formally named and described in 2016 by Figueroa et al., using the name proposed by Pyron et al. in 2013. Previously placed within Colubrinae, Ahaetuliinae was strongly supported as the sister group to Colubrinae in a 2016 study by Figueroa et al., as shown in the cladogram below: [3]
Ahaetuliinae is split into two separate monophyletic groups: one group consists of the sharp-nosed snakes of the generas Dryophiops , Ahaetulla , and the recently named Proahaetulla , and the second group consists of the rectangular-snouted snakes of the generas Dendrelaphis and Chrysopelea . [3] [1] The most recent common ancestor (and origin) of Ahaetuliinae dates back to an estimated 33.63 million years ago, from the Oligocene epoch. The subfamily diverged into the five separate genera during this time, with the latest divergence of Proahaetulla from Ahaetulla occurring an estimated 26.55 million years ago. [1]
The phylogeny of many of the species within Ahaetuliinae can be shown in the cladogram below, with possibly paraphyletic species noted: [1]
| Ahaetuliinae |
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Ahaetuliinae are distributed from Pakistan, through India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia into southeastern China, in the Philippines, the Malay Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. [3] Most species are found in forests.
Ahaetuliine snakes are arboreal and have keeled ventral and subcaudal scales (laterally notched in some species), and enlarged posterior grooved fangs (lacking in some Dendrelaphis ). [3]
Notable traits of some species include gliding in Chrysopelea , jumping behavior in Dendrelaphis , and large eyes with horizontal pupils in Ahaetulla and Dryophiops.. [3]
Ahaetuliinae comprises five genera containing 77 species ( Ahaetulla [20 species], Chrysopelea [5 species], Dendrelaphis [49 species], Dryophiops [2 species] and Proahaetulla [1 species]) that are more closely related to one another than to members of the subfamily Colubrinae. [4]
Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as Sri Lankan green vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a venomous, slender green tree snake endemic to Sri Lanka.
Paradise tree snake or paradise flying snake is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters or more in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.
Dendrelaphis cyanochloris, commonly known as Wall's bronzeback or the blue bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis pictus, commonly known as either the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis tristis is a species of colubrid tree-snake found in South Asia.
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus, commonly known as the striped bronzeback or grey bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Ahaetulla, commonly referred to as Asian vine snakes or Asian whip snakes, is a genus of colubrid snakes distributed throughout tropical Asia. They are considered by some scientists to be mildly venomous and are what is commonly termed as 'rear-fanged' or more appropriately, opisthoglyphous, meaning their enlarged teeth or fangs, intended to aid in venom delivery, are located in the back of the upper jaw, instead of in the front as they are in vipers or cobras. As colubrids, Ahaetulla do not possess a true venom gland or a sophisticated venom delivery system. The Duvernoy's gland of this genus, homologous to the venom gland of true venomous snakes, produces a secretion which, though not well studied, is considered not to be medically significant to humans.
The Colubrinae are a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae. It includes numerous genera, and although taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number, the Reptile Database lists 717 species in 92 genera as of September 2019. It is the second largest subfamily of colubrids, after Dipsadinae. Many of the most commonly known snakes are members of this subfamily, including rat snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, vine snakes, and indigo snakes.
Dryophiops philippina, also known as the keel-bellied whipsnake or Philippine whipsnake, a species of rear-fanged colubrid snake that is endemic to the Philippines. One similar species, Dryophiops rubescens exists in Thailand and Malaysia.
Chrysopelea taprobanica, the Sri Lankan flying snake or Indian flying snake, is a species of gliding colubrid snake distributed in India and Sri Lanka. It can glide, as with all species of its genus Chrysopelea, by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. The snake is known as "dangara dandaa - දඟරදන්ඩා" in Sinhala, due to its folding postures.
Ahaetulla mycterizans, the Malayan green whipsnake or Malayan vine snake, is a slender arboreal colubrid vine snake found in Southeast Asia.
The speckle-headed whipsnake is a species of colubrid vine snake found in Southeast Asia.
Dryophiops is a genus of whip snakes of the family Colubridae, containing two species. They are arboreal tree snakes, found in forests in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis formosus, commonly known as either the elegant bronzeback or beautiful bronzeback tree snake, is a snake species in the family Colubridae from Southeast Asia.
Dryophiops rubescens, commonly known as the red whip snake, is a species of snake in the colubrid family from Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis fuliginosus, commonly known as the Philippine lamp-black tree snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in the Philippines.
Dendrelaphis marenae, commonly known as Maren's bronzeback, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae, found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis ngansonensis, commonly known as either the Nganson bronzeback or Nganson bronzeback tree snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae, sound in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis striatus, commonly known as the banded bronzeback or striated bronzeback treesnake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae found in Southeast Asia.
Dendrelaphis subocularis, commonly known as the mountain bronzeback or Burmese bronzeback, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae from Southeast Asia.