Colubrid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Colubrids Fossil range: Oligocene to Recent |
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 Caspian Whipsnake
Coluber (Dolichophis) caspius |
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Boodontinae |
A colubrid (from Latin coluber, snake) is a snake that is a member of the Colubridae family. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes well over half of all snake species on earth. Colubrid species are found on every continent, except Antarctica[1].
A colubrid's body is almost completely covered in scales. They have highly flexible jaws, allowing them to consume large prey items, and have no remnant of a pelvic girdle[1].
While most colubrids are non-venomous (or have venom that isn't known to be harmful to humans) and are normally harmless, a few groups, such as genus Boiga, can produce medically significant bites, while the boomslang and the twig snakes have caused human fatalities. The venom is a modified form of saliva, secreted by glands in the upper jaw[1].
The venom-injecting fangs associated with venomous colubrids are almost always in the back of the mouth, unlike those of vipers and elapids. Even non-venomous colubrids often have fangs in this position, and use them to puncture egg-shells or similar food[1].
[edit] Selected species
- Queen snake
- Grass snake
- King Snake
- Milk Snake
- Corn Snake
- Bull Snake
- Fox Snake
- Rat Snake
- Garter Snake
- Hognose Snake
- Indigo snake
- Smooth Snake
- Water Snake
- Mussurana
- House snake
[edit] Classification
The Colubrids are certainly not a natural group, as many are more closely related to other groups, such as elapids, than to each other. This family has classically been a dumping ground for snakes that don't fit anywhere else. There is on-going[when?] mitochondrial DNA research which may sort out the familial relations within this group[citation needed].
Subfamily Boodontinae
- Bothrolycus
- Bothrophthalmus
- Buhoma (tentatively placed here)
- Chamaelycus
- Dendrolycus
- Dipsina
- Dromophis
- Duberria (tentatively placed here)
- Gonionotophis
- Grayia
- Hormonotus
- Lamprophis
- Lycodonomorphus
- Lycophidion
- Macroprotodon
- Mehelya
- Montaspis (tentatively placed here)
- Pseudaspis
- Pseudoboodon
- Pythonodipsas
- Scaphiophis
Subfamily Calamariinae
Subfamily Colubrinae - nearly 100 genera
Subfamily Dipsadinae
- Adelphicos
- Amastridium
- Atractus
- Calamodontophis (tentatively placed here)
- Carphophis (tentatively placed here)
- Chersodromus
- Coniophanes
- Contia (tentatively placed here)
- Crisantophis (tentatively placed here)
- Cryophis
- Diadophis (tentatively placed here)
- Diaphorolepsis (tentatively placed here)
- Dipsas
- Echinanthera (tentatively placed here)
- Emmochliophis (tentatively placed here)
- Enuliophis (tentatively placed here)
- Enulius (tentatively placed here)
- Eridiphas
- Geophis
- Gomesophis (tentatively placed here)
- Hydromorphus (tentatively placed here)
- Hypsiglena
- Imantodes
- Leptodeira
- Ninia
- Nothopsis (tentatively placed here)
- Pliocercus
- Pseudoleptodeira
- Pseudotomodon (tentatively placed here)
- Ptychophis (tentatively placed here)
- Rhadinaea
- Rhadinophanes (tentatively placed here)
- Sibon
- Sibynomorphus
- Synophis (tentatively placed here)
- Tachymenis (tentatively placed here)
- Taeniophallus (tentatively placed here)
- Tantalophis (tentatively placed here)
- Thamnodynastes (tentatively placed here)
- Tomodon (tentatively placed here)
- Tretanorhinus
- Trimetopon
- Tropidodipsas
- Urotheca
- Xenopholis (tentatively placed here)
Subfamily Homalopsinae - about 10 genera
Subfamily Natricinae - about 30 genera
Subfamily Pareatinae - 3 genera
Subfamily Psammophiinae
Subfamily Pseudoxenodontinae
Subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae - about 20 genera
Subfamily Xenodermatinae
Subfamily Xenodontinae - some 55-60 genera
- Blythia
- Cercaspis
- Cyclocorus
- Elapoidis
- Gongylosoma
- Haplocercus
- Helophis
- Myersophis
- Omoadiphas (recently discovered)[citation needed]
- Oreocalamus
- Poecilopholis
- Rhabdops
- Tetralepis
- Thermophis
- Trachischium
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). in Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.: Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press, 188-195. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
