''Xenodon'' 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 ...

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

snakes 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 Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). Species of the subfamily Dipsadinae are found in most of the Americas, including the West Indies, and are most diverse in South America. There a ...

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 ...

Geographic range

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), ...

of the genus ''Xenodon'' are found in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Diet

Snakes in the genus ''Xenodon''

prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

almost exclusively on

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

s. Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology: Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . (Genus ''Xenodon'', p. 149).

Species

The following 12

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), ...

are recognized as being valid. *'' Xenodon dorbignyi'' – South American hognose snake *''

Xenodon guentheri ''Xenodon guentheri'', also known Common name, commonly as Günther's false fer-de-lance, is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the Family (biology), family Colubridae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Brazil. Etymology The Spec ...

'' – Günther's false fer-de-lance *'' Xenodon histricus'' – Jan's hognose snake *'' Xenodon matogrossensis'' *'' Xenodon merremii'' – Wagler's snake *'' Xenodon nattereri'' *''

Xenodon neuwiedii ''Xenodon neuwiedii'', Neuwied's false fer-de-lance, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It ...

'' – Neuwied's false fer-de-lance *'' Xenodon pulcher'' *''

Xenodon rabdocephalus ''Xenodon rabdocephalus'', commonly known as the false fer-de-lance, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central America and northern South America. There are two recognized subsp ...

'' – false fer-de-lance *'' Xenodon semicinctus'' – ringed hognose snake *'' Xenodon severus'' – Amazon false fer-de-lance *'' Xenodon werneri'' ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Xenodon''.

Geographic range

Diet

Species

References

Further reading