Lamprophiinae

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Lamprophiinae
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Boaedon capensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Lamprophiidae
Subfamily: Lamprophiinae
Fitzinger, 1843
Genera

12, see text

Lamprophiinae is a subfamily of lamprophiid snakes, a large group of mostly African snakes, most of which were formerly classified as colubrids but which we now know are actually more closely related to elapids. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Lamprophiine snakes are small to medium-sized snakes, several of which use constriction to subdue their prey. In general we know little about their ecology in the wild.

The best-known lamprophiines are probably the genera Boaedon and Lamprophis , commonly known as "house snakes". Several species are popular in the pet trade.

Chamaelycus and Dendrolycus are the most poorly known genera. [7]

Genera

There are currently 78 species in 15 genera placed in Lamprophiinae. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lamprophis</i> Genus of snakes

Lamprophis is a genus of medium-sized, nonvenomous snakes commonly referred to as African house snakes, in the family Lamprophiidae.

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

The Natricinae are a subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Natricidae). The subfamily comprises 36 genera. Members include many very common snake species, such as the European grass snakes, and the North American water snakes and garter snakes. Some Old World members of the subfamily are known as keelbacks, because their dorsal scales exhibit strong keeling.

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

The many-banded snake, also known commonly as the burrowing cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

Gonionotophis is a genus of snakes, known commonly as African ground snakes and file snakes, in the family Lamprophiidae. The genus is endemic to Central Africa.

Hormonotus is a genus of snakes. At present, this genus is monotypic, as there is only one commonly accepted species in it, Hormonotus modestus, commonly known as the Uganda house snake or yellow forest snake. It is widespread in tropical Africa. Its sister taxon is Inyoka swazicus, the Swazi rock snake.

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

The Colubrinae are a subfamily of the family Colubridae of snakes. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alethinophidia</span> Clade of snakes

The Alethinophidia are an infraorder of snakes that includes all snakes other than blind snakes and thread snakes. Snakes have long been grouped into families within Alethinophidia based on their morphology, especially that of their teeth. More modern phylogenetic hypotheses using genetic data support the recognition of 19 extant families, although the taxonomy of alethinophidian snakes has long been debated, and ultimately the decision whether to assign a particular clade to a particular Linnaean rank is arbitrary.

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

Boodontinae is a subfamily of colubrid snakes.

<i>Lycodonomorphus</i> Genus of snakes

Lycodonomorphus is a genus of snakes commonly referred to as African water snakes. They are small, nonvenomous snakes, with all members being endemic to Africa, especially Tanzania.

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

The Cape file snake is a species of large, non-venomous snake endemic to Africa, belonging to the family Lamprophiidae.

<i>Boaedon</i> Genus of snakes

Boaedon is a genus of African lamprophiids consisting of the "brown" house snakes. The genus was originally described by Duméril but the species contained were reclassified as Lamprophis by Fitzinger in 1843, this taxonomy remained widely accepted until November 2010 when a phylogenetic study was published by C.M.R Kelly et al. who resurrected the Boaedon clade. Although commonly regarded as belonging to the Colubridae, primary literature usually lists them and related species as belonging to the family Lamprophiidae within the superfamily Elapoidea, which includes the venomous cobras and mambas.

Inyoka is a monotypic genus of southern African snakes. The word "inyoka" means "snake" in Zulu, Xhosa, Swahili, Shona and other African languages. These snakes were previously grouped in the genus Lamprophis but were found to be closer related to Hormonotus; a substantial genetic divergence between them and a 1900 km gap between their geographic ranges meant a new genus was erected for Lamprophis swazicus, the sole species of the new genus.

<i>Boaedon lineatus</i> Species of snake

Boaedon lineatus, the striped house snake, is a species of lamprophiid from throughout Africa. This species has a wide range stretching from Tanzania through Central Africa as far as Uganda. They are kept as pets with increasing regularity, often captured and exported for the pet trade. Until November 2010, this species was grouped in the genus Lamprophis, but a paper published by Kelly et al. reclassified this species in the genus Boaedon.

<i>Boaedon capensis</i> Species of snake

Boaedon capensis, the Cape house snake, also known as the brown house snake, is a species of lamprophiid from Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are a non-venomous lamprophiid. This species was previously grouped in the genus Lamprophis but is regrouped with the genus Boaedon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamprophiidae</span> Family of snakes

The Lamprophiidae are a family of snakes found throughout much of Africa, including the Seychelles. There are 89 species as of July 2022.

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

Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). They are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There are more than 700 species.

<i>Lycodonomorphus inornatus</i> Species of snake

Lycodonomorphus inornatus, commonly known as the olive house snake, the black house snake, and the olive ground snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa. It is a nocturnal snake with terrestrial habits.

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

The black file snake, also known commonly as the dwarf file snake or the Nyassa file snake, is a species of snake in the subfamily Lamprophiinae of the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Limaformosa is a genus of snakes, commonly known as file snakes, in the family Lamprophiidae. The genus is endemic to Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elapoidea</span> Superfamily of snakes

The Elapoidea are a superfamily of snakes in the clade Colubroides, traditionally comprising the families Lamprophiidae and Elapidae. Advanced genomic sequence studies, however, have found lamprophiids to be paraphyletic in respect to elapids, and anywhere between four and nine families are now recognized.

References

  1. Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T.; Colli, Guarino R.; de Oca, Adrian Nieto Montes; Vitt, Laurie J.; Kuczynski, Caitlin A.; Wiens, John J. (2011). "The phylogeny of advanced snakes (Colubroidea), with discovery of a new subfamily and comparison of support methods for likelihood trees" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 58 (2): 329–342. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.006. PMID   21074626. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-03.
  2. Pyron, R. A.; Burbrink, F.; Wiens, J. J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13: 93. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-93 . PMC   3682911 . PMID   23627680.
  3. Streicher, J. W.; Ruane, S. (2018). "Phylogenomics of Snakes". eLS: 1–8. doi:10.1002/9780470015902.a0027476. ISBN   9780470015902.
  4. Figueroa, A.; McKelvy, A. D.; Grismer, L. L.; Bell, C. D.; Lailvaux, S. P. (2016). "A species-level phylogeny of extant snakes with description of a new colubrid subfamily and genus". PLOS ONE. 11 (9): e0161070. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1161070F. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161070 . PMC   5014348 . PMID   27603205.
  5. Zheng, Y; Wiens, JJ (2016). "Combining phylogenomic and supermatrix approaches, and a time-calibrated phylogeny for squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) based on 52 genes and 4162 species" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94 (Pt B): 537–547. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.009. PMID   26475614.
  6. Kelly, C. M. R.; Branch, W. R.; Broadley, D. G.; Barker, N. P.; Villet, M. H. (2011). "Molecular systematics of the African snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (Serpentes: Elapoidea), with particular focus on the genera Lamprophis Fitzinger 1843 and Mehelya Csiki 1903". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 58 (3): 415–426. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.010. PMID   21095234.
  7. de Witte, G. F. (1963). "The colubrid snake genera Chamaelycus Boulenger and Oophilositum Parker". Copeia. 1963 (4): 634–636. doi:10.2307/1440964. JSTOR   1440964.
  8. "Lamprophiinae". Reptile Database. Retrieved 22 May 2018.