Xenodontinae

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Xenodontinae
Lystrophis dorbignyi.jpg
A xenodontine snake, Xenodon dorbignyi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Xenodontinae
Cope, 1895 [1]

Xenodontinae is a subfamily of snakes in the family Colubridae. [2] [3]

The subfamily Xenodontinae encompasses a number of rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous), mildly venomous snake genera found in South America and the Caribbean. Members of the subfamily Xenodontinae are by definition closer relatives to the genus Xenodon than they are to the genus Dipsas . Some authors consider Xenodontinae and Dipsadinae to be synonymous. If the two names are used synonymously, then Dipsadinae is the correct name because it is older. [4]

Genera

When used as a subfamily of Dipsadidae, Xenodontinae does not include genera placed in the subfamily Dipsadinae (e.g. Dipsas , Sibon , Coniophanes , Atractus , Geophis , Hypsiglena , Imantodes , Leptodeira , Ninia , Rhadinaea , Urotheca ) nor the North American relict genera ( Heterodon , Farancia , Diadophis , Carphophis , Contia ), nor the Asian genus Thermophis , because these are too distantly-related to Xenodon . [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<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">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.

<i>Sibynophis</i> Genus of snakes

Sibynophis is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly called many-toothed snakes, which together with Scaphiodontophis make up the subfamily Sibynophiinae.

Erythrolamprus ornatus, also known commonly as the ornate ground snake and the Saint Lucia racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the eastern Caribbean. It is the rarest snake on earth with fewer than 20 left in the wild.

<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.

Shaw's dark ground snake, also known commonly as Shaw's black-backed snake, and in Spanish as candelilla, guarda caminos, and reinita cazadora, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northern South America.

<i>Dipsas</i> Genus of snakes

Dipsas is a genus of nonvenomous New World snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The genus Sibynomorphus has been moved here. Species of the genus Dipsas are known as snail-eaters.

<i>Pseudalsophis</i> Genus of snakes

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<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">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

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.

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

Pseudoxenodontinae is a small subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Pseudoxenodontidae). They are found in southern and southeastern Asia, from northeast India to southern China and south into Indonesia as far east as Wallace's Line. There are 10 species in 2 genera. Most are very poorly known, such that Pseudoxenodontinae is one of the most poorly known groups of snakes.

Mussurana is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to South America.

<i>Lygophis</i> Genus of snakes

Lygophis is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to Panama and South America.

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

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

Caaeteboia is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to Brazil.

Rodriguesophis is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus contains three species, all of which are endemic to Brazil.

<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.

Pseudalsophis thomasi, or Thompson's racer, a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to several islands in the Galápagos group.

Erythrolamprus festae, also known commonly as the drab ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northwestern South America.

References

  1. "Xenodontinae". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. 1 2 Grazziotin, Felipe G.; Zaher, Hussam; Murphy, Robert W.; Scrocchi, Gustavo; Benavides, Marco A.; Zhang, Ya-Ping; Bonatto, Sandro L. (2012). "Molecular phylogeny of the New World Dipsadidae (Serpentes: Colubroidea): a reappraisal". Cladistics. 28 (5): 437–459. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2012.00393.x . PMID   34836446. S2CID   84934386.
  3. 1 2 Zaher, H.; Grazziotin, F. G.; Cadle, J. E.; Murphy, R. W.; Moura-Leite, J. C.; Bonatto, S. L. (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of advanced snakes (Serpentes, Caenophidia) with an emphasis on South American Xenodontines: A revised classification and descriptions of new taxa". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 49 (11): 115–153. doi: 10.1590/s0031-10492009001100001 .
  4. Pyron, R. A.; Burbrink, F. T.; Colli, G. R.; De Oca, A. N. M.; Vitt, L. J.; Kuczynski, C. A.; Wiens, J. 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. Finally, we follow Zaher et al. (2009) in using the name Dipsadinae (Bonaparte, 1840) to refer to Xenodontinae (Bonaparte, 1845) of Lawson et al. (2005) and previous authors, based on priority.