Eryx (snake)

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Eryx
Temporal range: Miocene–recent
Eryx jaculus.jpg
Javelin sand boa, E. jaculus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Subfamily: Erycinae
Genus: Eryx
Daudin, 1803
Synonyms [1]
  • ClothoniaDaudin, 1803
  • Cusoria Gray, 1849
  • Cursoria Günther, 1864
  • Pseudogongylophis Tokar, 1989

Eryx is a genus of nonvenomous snakes, commonly known as Old World sand boas, in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. [2] Species of the genus are found in southeastern Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. Thirteen species are recognized as being valid. [2]

Contents

Description

The genus Eryx has the following characters. The head is not distinct from the neck. The dorsal surface of the head is covered with small scales. The rostral is large. The eyes range from small to very small, and the pupils are vertical. The anterior maxillary teeth and anterior mandibular teeth are longer than the posterior ones. The body is almost cylindrical. The dorsal scales are smooth or keeled. The tail is very short, either not prehensile or only slightly prehensile. The subcaudals are undivided. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Species of snakes of the genus Eryx are found in southeastern Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. [1]

Species

Nota bene : In the list below, a taxon author in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Eryx.

Species [2] Taxon author [2] Subspecies* [2] Common nameGeographic range [1]
Eryx borrii [4] Lanza & Nistri, 20050Borri's sand boaSomalia
Eryx colubrinus Eryx colubrinus close up.jpg (Linnaeus, 1758)2Egyptian sand boa, Kenyan sand boaEgypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia
Eryx conicus Russells Boa.jpg (Schneider, 1801)0Rough-tailed sand boa, common sand boaPakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka
Eryx elegans (Gray, 1849)0Central Asian sand boaSouthern Turkmenistan, northern Iran (the Kopet Dag Mountains in the northeast and the Azerbaijan region in the northwest) and Afghanistan
Eryx jaculus Eryx jaculus.jpg (Linnaeus, 1758)0Javelin sand boaSouthern Italy, Eastern Europe in Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece (including Corfu and the Cyclades). The Caucasus. The Middle East in Syria, Israel, northeastern Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Africa north of the Sahara Desert from Morocco to Egypt.
Eryx jayakari Eryx jayakari by Omid Mozaffari.jpg Boulenger, 18880Arabian sand boaFrom the east and south of the Arabian Peninsula north to Khūzestān Province in Iran
Eryx johnii Juvenile Red Sand Boa at Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.jpg (Russell, 1801)0Indian sand boaFrom Iran through Pakistan into northwestern and southern India
Eryx miliaris BennyTrapp Eryx miliaris.jpg (Pallas, 1773)0Dwarf sand boaFrom the northern Caucasus and the north coast of the Caspian Sea east through Kazakhstan to the north coast of the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash, though the Zaysan Valley to Sinkiang in China and southern Mongolia. Also in northern and eastern Iran, Afghanistan and western Pakistan.
Eryx muelleri Eryx muelleri.jpg (Boulenger, 1892)1Müller’s sand boaMauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic
Eryx sistanensis Eskandarzadeh, N. Rastegar-Pouyani, E. Rastegar-Pouyani, Zargan, Hajinourmohamadi, Nazarov, Sami, Rajabizadeh, Nabizadeh & Navaian, 20200Sistan sand boa Iran
Eryx somalicus Scortecci, 19390Somali sand boa Somalia
Eryx vittatus (Chernov, 1959)0Northern Iran, Tajikistan, northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and eastern China
Eryx whitakeri Whitaker's Boa adult.jpg Das, 19910Whitaker's sand boaSouthwestern coastal India in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and southern Maharashtra

T) Type species. [1]

Fossil taxa

Two fossil species are known. The earliest is E. linxiaensis from the Miocene of Gansu, China, which appears to be the sister species to Eryx colubrinus , suggesting several intercontinental dispersals from Africa to Eurasia during the Miocene. E. primitivus is known from the middle Pliocene of Spain, and appears to be an early offshoot of the main Eryx lineage. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's python</span> Species of reptile

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabar python</span> Species of snake

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<i>Eryx johnii</i> Species of snake

Eryx johnii is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is native to Iran, Pakistan, and India. There are no subspecies which are recognized as being valid.

<i>Eryx whitakeri</i> Species of snake

Eryx whitakeri, also commonly known as Whitaker's sand boa or Whitaker's boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is endemic to India. No subspecies are recognized.

<i>Eryx conicus</i> Species of reptile

Eryx conicus, also known as Russell's sand boa, the Common sand boa or the rough-tailed sand boa, is a species of non-venomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is native to Southern Asia. No subspecies are recognised.

<i>Candoia</i> Genus of snakes

Candoia is a genus of non-venomous boas found mostly in New Guinea, Melanesia, the Solomon Islands and the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Common names include bevel-nosed boas and keel-scaled boas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erycinae</span> Subfamily of snakes

The Erycinae, also known as the Old World sand boas, are a subfamily of nonvenomous snakes in the family Boidae. Species of the subfamily Erycinae are found in Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, Arabia, central and southwestern Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and western North America. Four genera comprising 18 species are currently recognized as being valid.

Eryx elegans is a boa species endemic to western Central Asia. Like all other boas, it is not venomous. No subspecies are recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Island burrowing boa</span> Extinct species of snake

The Round Island burrowing boa is an extinct species of snake, in the monotypic genus Bolyeria, in the family Bolyeriidae. The species, which was endemic to Mauritius, was last seen on Round Island in 1975. There are no recognized subspecies.

<i>Corallus cookii</i> Species of snake

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Cyclotyphlops deharvengi, or Deharveng’s blind snake, is a species of blind snake placed in the monotypic genus Cyclotyphlops. It is found in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Eryx colubrinus</i> Species of snake

Eryx colubrinus, the Egyptian or Kenyan sand boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to Northern and Eastern Africa. Three subspecies are recognized.

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Tropidophis battersbyi, also known commonly as Battersby's dwarf boa and the Ecuadorian dwarf boa, is a species of snake in the family Tropidophiidae. The species is endemic to Ecuador.

<i>Chilabothrus fordii</i> Species of snake endemic to Hispaniola

Chilabothrus fordii, also known commonly as Ford's boa and the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. There are three recognized subspecies.

Cross's beaked snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to West Africa.

<i>Eryx jaculus</i> Species of snake

Eryx jaculus, known commonly as the javelin sand boa, is a species of snake in the Boidae family. It is the type species of the genus Eryx.

<i>Eryx jayakari</i> Species of snake

Eryx jayakari, known commonly as the Arabian sand boa or Jayakar's sand boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran where it spends the day buried in the sand.

<i>Eryx muelleri</i> Species of snake

Eryx muelleri, known commonly as Müller's sand boa or the Saharan sand boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to Africa. They are kept fairly regularly in the pet industry due to their docile nature and easy care.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Eryx". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  3. Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (Genus Eryx, p. 122–123, Figure 7).
  4. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Eryx borrii, p. 32).
  5. Shi, Jingsong; Li, Qiang; Stidham, Thomas A.; Zhang, Chi; Jiangzuo, Qigao; Chen, Mo; Ni, Xijun (2023-05-01). "Evolutionary and biogeographic implications of an Erycine snake (Serpentes, Erycidae, Eryx) from the Upper Miocene of the Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 617: 111491. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111491. ISSN   0031-0182.
  6. Szyndlar, Zbigniew; Schleich, Hans-Hermann (1994-01-01). "Two species of the genus Eryx (Serpentes; Boidae; Erycinae) from the Spanish Neogene with comments on the past distribution of the genus in Europe". Amphibia-Reptilia. 15 (3): 233–248. doi:10.1163/156853894X00010. ISSN   1568-5381.

Further reading