''Lygophis'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
snake
Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
s in the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
Dipsadinae of the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...
. The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Panama and South America.
Species
The genus ''Lygophis'' contains the following eight
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
which are recognized as being valid.
[. www.reptile-database.org.]
*''
Lygophis anomalus''
*''
Lygophis dilepis'' - Lema's ground snake, Lema’s striped snake
*''
Lygophis elegantissimus''
*''
Lygophis flavifrenatus'' - fronted ground snake
*''
Lygophis lineatus'' - lined ground snake
*''
Lygophis meridionalis''
*''
Lygophis paucidens'' - Hoge's ground snake
*''
Lygophis vanzolinii'' - Vanzolini's ground snake
''
Nota bene'': A
binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Lygophis''.
References
Further reading
*
Fitzinger L (1843). ''Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae.'' Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (''Lygophis'', new genus, p. 26). (in Latin).
*
Freiberg M (1982). ''Snakes of South America''. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . (Genus ''Lygophis'', p. 103).
*
Zaher H,
Grazziotin PG,
Cadle JE,
Murphy RW,
Moura-Leite JC,
Bonatto SL (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, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo'' 49 (11): 115–153. ("''Lygophis'' Fitzinger, 1843 resurrected", p. 147). (in English, with abstracts in English and Portuguese).
*https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/lygophis-lineatus/
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3269363
Lygophis
Snake genera
Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger