Boiga dendrophila, the mangrove snake. From the Virtual Museum of Natural History, by permission.
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| The Vertebrates | Pythonomorpha: Colubroidea |
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Abbreviated Dendrogram
Squamata
├─Iguania
└─Scleroglossa
│
└─Pythonomorpha
├─Mosasauroidea
└─Serpentes
├─Scolecophidia
└─Alethinophidia
├─Aniloidea
└─Macrostomata
├─Boidae
└─Caenophidia
├─Acrochordoidea
└─Colubroidea
├─Atractaspididae
├─Elapidae
└─┬─Colubridae
└─Viperidae
├─Azemiopinae
└─┬─Crotalinae
└─Viperinae
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Contents
Overview |
Colubroidea: Earliest advanced snakes.
fr Ec.
Caenophidia: Acrochordoidea + *: Atractaspididae + Elapidae + (Colubridae + Viperidae).
Links: Higher Reptile Taxa.
currently Africa & Asia
Colubroidea: Elapidae + (Colubridae + Viperidae) + *.
small to medium-sized snakes; blunt-headed; maxilla is extremely reduced; maxilla with elongated, hollow maxillary fang; maxilla has complex articulation with prefrontal; short tails; fossorial; solenoglyphs; oviparous with clutches of 2-11; feed upon newborn rodents and other fossorial reptiles
Links: Atractaspididae; Atractaspididae
Colubroidea: Atractaspididae + (Colubridae + Viperidae) + *.
Venomous, often marine snakes with hollow, relatively immobile maxillary fangs.
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Boiga dendrophila, the mangrove snake. From the Virtual Museum of Natural History, by permission. |
All continents except Antarctica (and Australia?), in all but coldest latitudes.
Colubroidea:: Viperidae + *.
20-400 cm; frequently venomous but without anterior fangs or hollow teeth; venom, where present, mostly proteases; most have rows of teeth that are of equal size; teeth on premaxillae lost; maxilla elongate; basipterygoid processes lost; coronoids lost; pupils round; vertebrae generally lack downward-projecting spines; right common artery lost; pelvic girdle absent; large, strap-like scales in single row down the belly; most terrestrial.
Note: Very speciose taxon, with 85-90% of living species. May be a catch-all taxon for advanced snakes of multiple lineages. ATW021012.
Links: Animal Diversity Web: Family Colubridae; Flying snake home page Colubridae: Chrysopelea); Squamata/COLUBRIDAE/colubridae01.html">Reptilia, Squamata, Ophidia, Colubridae, Nattern (German); Colubridae, Italian); Predacao de anuros pela serpente (Portugese); ????????? ?????? (Colubridae). ????: Colubrids. (Russian); Colubridae; I Colubridi, Colubridae (Italian); APUS.RU - Colubridae Russian); SERPENTS also in Russian); Advanced Snakes pictures & lots of references); Colubridae.html pictures). ATW030128.
Viperidae: adders, vipers, & copperheads.
from the Early Miocene.
Colubroidea:: Colubridae + *: Azemiopinae + (Crotalinae + Viperinae).
Large, triangular heads & stout bodies; maxilla short, with one tooth; maxillae rotates so that fangs folded during feeding distinguishes from Elapids); venom teeth are closed tubes (solenoglyph) without visible seam; quadrates flared outward and highly mobile skull; venom common. Largely ambush predators of mammals, injecting venom, then following scent trail.
Image:Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus from Viperidae.
Links: Encyclopedia Entry; Viperidae; Animal Diversity Web: Family- Viperidae; Squamata/VIPERIDAE/viperidae01.html">Reptilia, Squamata, Ophidia, Viperidae - Vipern German); Viperidae.html just pictures); Viperidae Familyasi Turkish); I Viperidi, Viperidae Italian: very thorough coverage); Viperidae Mikko). ATW030121.
Azemiopinae: (= Azemophinae): Azemiops (Fea's viper).
Range: R of China, Tibet, northern parts of SE Asia.
Viperidae: (Crotalinae + Viperinae) + *.
Characters: <82 cm long; head somewhat flattened & slightly triangular; fangs short; venom sacs comparatively small; loreal infra-red sensitive) pit-organs absent; moderately sturdy body, with short tail; no tracheal lung; head with with large plates (colubridlike head scales); head scales orange; smooth body scales, body has widely spaced orange rings on a background of deep blue-gray to black; feeds on small mammals and lizards; vibrates tail against vegetation when threatened; hibernates in winter; oviparous.
Image:Azemiops from Viperidae.
Links: Viperidae; NCBI; ??? - ???? Azemiops feae Chinese). ATW030503.
Viperinae: Adenorhinos, Atheris, Bitis, Cerastes, Daboia, Echis, Macrovipera, Vipera. "Pitless vipers."
Viperidae:: Crotalinae + *.
Links:Viperinae; Viperidae; Viperinae2001; The World Of Atheris; Biochem. J. - Bile acids of Viperinae; Viper's; Snake Basics 2 - Simon's Snake Website. ATW020817.
checked ATW060222