Homalopsidae

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Homalopsidae
Cerberus rynchops.jpg
New Guinea bockadam
Cerberus rynchops
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Clade: Colubroides
Family: Homalopsidae
Bonaparte, 1845
Genera

29, see text

The Homalopsidae are a family of snakes which contains about 30 genera and more than 50 species. They are commonly known as Indo-Australian water snakes, mudsnakes, or bockadams. They are also known as ular air (lit. "water snake") in Indonesian. They are typically stout-bodied water snakes, and all are mildly venomous. Two monotypic genera are notable for their unusual morphology: Erpeton possesses a pair of short, fleshy appendages protruding from the front of the snout, and Bitia has uniquely enlarged palatine teeth. Cerberus species have been noted to use sidewinding to cross slick mud flats during low tide. Fordonia and Gerarda are the only snakes known to tear their prey apart before eating it, pulling soft-shelled crabs through their coils to rip them apart prior to ingestion. [1]

Contents

Genera

Related Research Articles

<i>Cerberus</i> (snake) Genus of snakes

Cerberus is a small genus of snakes in the family Homalopsidae.

<i>Cerberus rynchops</i> Species of snake

Cerberus rynchops, also known as the New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, bockadam snake, or dog-faced water snake, is a mildly venomous species of a snake in the family Homalopsidae. It is native to coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia. The species was re-delimited in 2012, allocating populations east and south of the west coast of Thailand to other species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice paddy snake</span> Species of snake

The rice paddy snake, also known as grey water snake, Boie's mud snake, yellow or orange bellied water snake, lead water snake or plumbeous water snake is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake endemic to South Asia. It is somewhat common, and is one of the most widespread species of water snake in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siebold's water snake</span> Species of snake

Siebold's water snake, also known commonly as Siebold's mud snake and Siebold's smooth water snake, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Homalopsidae. The species is endemic to Asia.

<i>Fordonia</i> Genus of snakes

Fordonia is a genus of aquatic snakes in the family Homalopsidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Fordonia leucobalia, commonly known as crab-eating water snake and white-bellied mangrove snake. It is a common resident of mangrove swamps and tropical tidal wetlands from coast of Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the coasts of Northern Australia.

<i>Gerarda prevostiana</i> Species of snake

Gerarda prevostiana, commonly known as the cat-eyed water snake, Gerard's water snake, and the glossy marsh snake, is a species of snake in the family Homalopsidae. The species is endemic to Asia. It is the only species in the genus Gerarda.

<i>Homalopsis buccata</i> Species of snake

Homalopsis buccata is a species of mildly venomous snake in the Homalopsidae family found in tropical areas of Southeast Asia.

<i>Farancia</i> Genus of snakes

Farancia is a genus of colubrid snakes. It consists of two species, one commonly referred to as the rainbow snake and the other commonly referred to as the mud snake. Both species are native to the southeastern United States.

<i>Enhydris</i> Genus of snakes

Enhydris is a genus of slightly venomous, rear-fanged, snakes in the family Homalopsidae. The genus is endemic to the tropical area of Indo-Australian region.

The Kapuas mud snake is a species of snake in the family Homalopsidae. The species, which is native to Borneo, can change its epidermal colour spontaneously.

<i>Aipysurus</i> Genus of snakes

Aipysurus is a genus of venomous snakes in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. Member species of the genus are found in warm seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

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

The tentacled snake or tentacle snake is a rear-fanged aquatic snake native to Southeast Asia. It is the only species of the genus Erpeton. The two tentacles on its snout are a unique feature among snakes.

The Sind River snake, also known commonly as Chanard's mud snake and Chan-ard's water snake, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Homalopsidae. The species is endemic to Thailand.

<i>Emydocephalus</i> Genus of snakes

Emydocephalus is a genus of sea snakes, also known as turtle-headed sea snakes, in the family Elapidae. The genus is one of a small group of the viviparous sea snakes with Aipysurus. Unlike most sea snakes, the species that make up Emydocephalus lack teeth on their dentary and palatine bones. They also lack venom, making them the only non-venomous elapids. The dentary and palantine bones bear only a row of papillae. Emydocephalus does, however, bear fangs and many small pterygoid teeth. This reduced dentition is due to their diet consisting almost entirely of fish eggs.

<i>Homalopsis</i> Genus of snakes

Homalopsis is a genus of snakes of the family Homalopsidae. The genus is restricted to South East Asia and includes five currently recognized species. Like all members of the family Homalopsidae, Homalopsis are rear-fanged and mildly venomous, though considered harmless to humans.

Gyiophis is a genus of snakes in the family Homalopsidae. The genus is endemic to Myanmar.

<i>Hypsiscopus</i> Genus of snakes

Hypsiscopus is a genus of snakes of the family Homalopsidae. The name comes from the Greek words Hypsi, meaning high or lofty, and scopus, meaning view, and refers to the location of the eyes, which are set high on the heads of these snakes.

Subsessor is a genus of snake in the family Homalopsidae. The genus is monotypic, containing the sole species Subsessor bocourti. The species is commonly known as Bocourt's mud snake or Bocourt's water snake and has traditionally been placed in the genus Enhydris.

Myanophis is a genus of snake in the family Homalopsidae that contains the sole species Myanophis thanlyinensis. It is endemic to Myanmar, and was described in 2021 from two male and two female specimens found in the vicinity of the campus of East Yangon University.

References

  1. Jayne, Bruce C.; Voris, Harold K.; Ng, Peter K.L. (2002). "Herpetology: Snake circumvents constraints on prey size". Nature. 418 (6894): 143. Bibcode:2002Natur.418..143J. doi: 10.1038/418143a . PMID   12110878.
  2. Köhler, Gunther; Khaing, Khin Pa Pa; Than, Ni Lar; Baranski, Damian; Schell, Tilman; Greve, Carola; Janke, Axel; Pauls, Steffen U. (2021). "A new genus and species of mud snake from Myanmar (Reptilia, Squamata, Homalopsidae)". Zootaxa. 4915 (3): 301–325. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4915.3.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   33756559. S2CID   232339097. (Myanophis, new genus; M. thanlyinensis, new species).

Further reading