Sibynophiinae

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Sibynophiinae
Chinese Mountain Snake (Sibynophis chinensis) Hei Tou Jian She 3.jpg
Sibynophis chinensis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Sibynophiinae
Dunn, 1928
Genera

Sibynophiinae is a small subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Sibynophiidae). This group has also been called Scaphiodontophiinae [1] but since the name Sibynophiinae is older, it has priority. They are commonly called hinged-teeth snakes.

Sibynophiine snakes are between 30 and 100 cm in total length as adults, depending on the species. They have extremely long tails, up to half of the total length. [2] [3] They are non-venomous and eat mostly lizards.

These snakes possess several unique features, including numerous small, spatulate, hinged maxillary teeth, a specialization that allows grasping and feeding on hard-bodied prey such as skinks, and the presence of fracture planes between caudal vertebrae that allow them to easily break parts of their tails in a fashion similar to many lizards (although they cannot regrow their tails). [4] Scaphiodontophis are also unusual in being partial coral snake mimics: the front and sometimes the rear parts of their bodies are black, white, and red banded, whereas the middle of the body sometimes down to the tail is brown. [5] The pattern of colors is highly variable, even within the same individual snake, and does not necessarily correspond to the patterns of any species of coral snakes, unlike the banding patterns of most coral snake mimics. No two individual Scaphiodontophis have exactly the same coloration on the entire body. [4] [5]

The geographic distribution of sibynophiine snakes is puzzling because it is disjunct, with one genus in the Neotropics and the other in Asia. Molecular data suggest that this pattern is caused by a late Eocene/Oligocene origin in Asia, followed by dispersal over the Bering land bridge to the New World. Unlike other snake groups (e.g. Crotalinae, Colubrinae, Natricinae, Dipsadinae), however, sibynophiines evidently left no extant species in temperate North America. [6] It is likely that sibynophiines became extinct in temperate Asia and North America as the tropics receded to their current latitudes. The two genera likely last shared a common ancestor around 33 million years ago (95% HPD: 40.0–22.9 mya [6] ), at which time all the continents were in or near their current relative positions and the climate in the Bering land bridge was warmer. Less likely alternatives include dispersal over a Greenland–Faeroe land bridge, which was colder and probably had less suitable habitat for snakes at the time, or rafting from Southeast Asia to Central America, which, although not impossible, would be unprecedented among vertebrates. [6]

The genus Liophidium , which also has hinged teeth and is found in Madagascar, was once thought to be closely related to sibynophiines, but is now known to be part of the Lamprophiidae. [6]

Genera

The subfamily Sibynophiinae contains 2 genera and 11 total species. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Colubridae is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica.

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

Elapidae is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydocephalus. Many members of this family exhibit a threat display of rearing upwards while spreading out a neck flap. Elapids are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with terrestrial forms in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas and marine forms in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Members of the family have a wide range of sizes, from the 18 cm (7.1 in) white-lipped snake to the 5.85 m king cobra. Most species have neurotoxic venom that is channeled by their hollow fangs, and some may contain other toxic components in various proportions. The family includes 55 genera with some 360 species and over 170 subspecies.

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

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<i>Pantherophis emoryi</i> Species of snake

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

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

Colubroidea is a superfamily of snakes in the clade Colubroides that includes Colubridae, with some studies splitting Colubridae into multiple families that make up Colubroidea. Historically, Colubroidea also included other caenophidian snakes such as cobras and vipers, as these snakes form a clade. However these groups are now divided into several distinct, but related, families. Zaher et al. (2009) proposed to redefine Colubroidea for colubrids and related families, while designating Colubroides as the group containing vipers and cobras as well as colubroids. The ReptileDatabase considers Colubroidea to be composed of Colubridae and the members of its sister group, Elapoidea, and does not recognize the division of Colubridae into multiple families.

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

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

The Colubroides are a clade in the suborder Serpentes (snakes). It contains over 85% of all the extant species of snakes. The largest family is Colubridae, but it also includes at least six other families, at least four of which were once classified as "Colubridae" before molecular phylogenetics helped in understanding their relationships. It has been found to be monophyletic.

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

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References

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  2. Taylor, E. H.; Smith, H. M. (1943). "A review of American Sibynophine snakes, with a proposal of a new genus". University of Kansas Science Bulletin. 29: 301–337.
  3. Leviton, A. E. (1963). "Contributions to a review of Philippine snakes, II. The snakes of the genera Liopeltis and Sibynophis". Philippine Journal of Science. 92 (3): 367–381.
  4. 1 2 Savage, J. M.; Slowinski, J. B. (1996). "Evolution of coloration, urotomy and coral snake mimicry in the snake genus Scaphiodontophis (Serpentes: Colubridae)" (PDF). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 57: 129–194.
  5. 1 2 Durso, Andrew. "Natural History of Neck-banded Snakes". Living Alongside Wildlife. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Chen, X.; Huang, S.; Guo, P.; Colli, G. R.; de Oca, A. N. M.; Vitt, L. J.; Pyron, R. A.; Burbrink, F. T. (2013). "Understanding the formation of ancient intertropical disjunct distributions using Asian and Neotropical hinged-teeth snakes (Sibynophis and Scaphiodontophis: Serpentes: Colubridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (1): 254–261. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.032. PMID   23044403.
  7. 1 2 3 "Sibynophiinae". Reptile Database. Retrieved 29 December 2016.