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Afrophidia
Afrophidia is a clade of alethinophidian snakes comprising the groups Henophidia and Caenophidia, essentially making up the snakes people commonly associate with. The name refers to the deep split between Afrophidia and their sister taxon, Amerophidia, which originated in South American origin, and the afrophidians was recently hypothesized to represent a vicariant event of the breakup of Gondwanan South America and Africa. Unlike the scolecophidians and amerophidians, which have evolved to be small, the afrophidians have evolved many larger species. This is also the group in which venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ... has been developed in several lines of snakes. Below is a phylogeny of Afrophidia recovered from numerous phylogenetic work on snakes: Venomous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads ( cranial kinesis). To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs about twenty-five times independently via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alethinophidia
:''Common names: advanced 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 (see below), 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 (such as a superfamily, family, or subfamily) is arbitrary. Etymology The infraorder name Alethinophidia derives from the two Ancient Greek words (), meaning "truthful, genuine", and (), meaning "snake". Fossil record Fossils of alethinophidians were found in Cenomanian (Middle Cretaceous) sites of Wadi Milk Formation in Wadi Abu Hashim, Sudan. ''Coniophis'' presents the vertebral morphology similar to modern-day Aniliida ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the Latin word for the white limestone known as chalk. The chalk of northern France and the white cliffs of south-eastern England date from the Cretaceous Period. Climate During the Late Cretaceous, the climate was warmer than present, although throughout the period a cooling trend is evident. The tropics became restricted to equatorial regions and northern latitudes experienced markedly more seasonal climatic conditions. Geography Due to plate tectonics, the Americas were gradually moving westward, causing the Atlantic Ocean to expand. The Western Interior Seaway divided North America into eastern and western halves; Appalachia and Laramidia. India maintained a northward course towards Asia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenopeltidae
''Xenopeltis'', the sunbeam snakes, are the sole genus of the monotypic family Xenopeltidae, the species of which are found in Southeast Asia. Sunbeam snakes are known for their highly iridescent scales. Two species are recognized, each one with no subspecies. Studies of DNA suggest that the xenopeltids are most closely related to the Mexican burrowing python ('' Loxocemus bicolor'') and to the true pythons of Pythonidae. Description Adults can grow up to in length.Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. ''Animal''. London: Dorling Kindersley. 624 pp. . The head scales are made up of large plates much like those of the Colubridae, while the ventral scales are only slightly reduced. Pelvic vestiges are not present. The dorsal color pattern is a reddish-brown, brown, or blackish color. The belly is an unpatterned whitish-gray.Mehrtens JM. 1987. ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . The scales are highly iridescent. Geographic range They are foun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boidae
The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda of South America being the heaviest and second-longest snake known; in general, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Five subfamilies, comprising 12 genera and 49 species, are currently recognized. The Old Tupi name for such snakes was mbói, which figures in the etymology of names such as ''jibóia'' and ''boitatá'' (the Brazilian name for the mythical giant anaconda). Description Like the pythons, boas have elongated supratemporal bones. The quadrate bones are also elongated, but not as much, while both are capable of moving freely so when they swing sideways to their maximum extent, the distance between the hinges of the lower jaw is greatly increased.Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Candoia
''Candoia'' is a genus of non-venomous boas found mostly in New Guinea, Melanesia and the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Five species are recognized. Common names include the bevel-nosed boas and keel-scaled boas. Description The species of the genus ''Candoia'' typically have a rounded and heavy body, with a flattened triangular-shaped head, and an upturned nose. Colors and patterns vary greatly, but most are various shades of brown to black. Species can vary in adult size from to in total length (including the tail). Males are typically smaller than females and can be distinguished by their prominent cloacal spurs. Distribution and habitat Snakes of the genus ''Candoia'' are found from Samoa and Tokelau west through Melanesia to New Guinea and the Maluku Islands in indonesia. Behavior All species of ''Candoia'' are primarily nocturnal. Feeding The primary diet of ''Candoia'' species consists of frogs and lizards. Reproduction In the snakes of the genus ''Candoia'', breeding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erycinae
The Erycinae, known as the Old World sand boas, are a subfamily of nonvenomous snakes in the family Boidae. Species of the subfamily Erycinae are found in Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, Arabia, central and southwestern Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and western North America. Four genera comprising 18 species are currently recognized as being valid. Description Erycinae is a subfamily of stout-bodied snakes, all of which are competent burrowers. The largest, '' E. johnii'', rarely exceeds in total length (including tail). Most grow to around in total length. They have small eyes and hard, small scales to protect their skin from the grit of sand. A great deal of sexual dimorphism exists, with females generally becoming much larger than males. Erycines have skeletal adaptations to burrowing. The skull is more compact than in the subfamily Boinae. Also, the vertebrae of the tail are increased in size but reduced in number. Distribution and habitat Erycines are found in Southeastern Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ungaliophiinae
Ungaliophiinae is a subfamily of booid snakes containing two genera, '' Ungaliophis'' (two species) and ''Exiliboa'' (one species). They are small constrictors that are found in Central and South America from southern Mexico to Colombia. They eat mostly lizards and frogs and are poorly studied. These snakes were formerly thought to be closely related to two other genera, ''Tropidophis'' and ''Trachyboa''; all four genera were united in the family (Tropidophiidae) based on the presence of a tracheal lung and the absence of a left lung. However, ''Ungaliophis'' and ''Exiliboa'' are now known to be more closely related to booid snakes, whereas ''Tropidophis'' and ''Trachyboa'' are known to be more closely related to the American red pipesnake ''Anilius''. Within Booidea, ''Ungaliophis'' and ''Exiliboa'' are thought to be most closely related to North American ''Charina'' and ''Lichanura ''Lichanura'', the rosy boas, are a genus of snakes in the family Boidae. They are distribute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charinidae
Charinidae is an arachnid family within the order of tailless whip scorpions.Harvey, M.S. 2003. Order Amblypygi. pp. 59–99 in, Catalogue of the Smaller Arachnid Orders of the World: Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. Collingwood, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing. 385 pp. The family is monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ... and contains three genera: ''Weygoldtia'' is sister to a monophyletic group comprising ''Charinus'' and ''Sarax'', neither of which are reciprocally monophyletic. Genera There are three genera in the family Charinidae. *'' Charinus'' Simon, 1892 *'' Sarax'' Simon, 1892 *'' Weygoldtia'' Miranda, Giupponi, Prendini & Scharff, 2018 References External links ITISAustralian Faunal Directory Amblypygi Arac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanziniinae
The Sanziniinae are a subfamily of boid snakes containing four species endemic to the island of Madagascar. Taxonomy It contains two genera, each one with two species: *'' Acrantophis'' - Jan, 1860 :: '' Acrantophis dumerili'', Duméril's boa :: ''Acrantophis madagascariensis'', Madagascar ground boa or Malagasy ground boa *'' Sanzinia'' - Gray, 1849 :: ''Sanzinia madagascariensis'', Madagascar tree boa or Malagasy tree boa :: ''Sanzinia volontany'', Nosy Komba ground boa The Nosy Komba ground boa (''Sanzinia volontany'') is a Boidae, boa species Endemism, endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is brownish in colour and is found on the western side of the island. It was considered conspecific with the Madagasca ...'' References * Romer, A.S.: Osteology of the Reptiles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1956. Further reading * Boidae Tetrapod subfamilies {{Alethinophidia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
