Colubrid

Colubridae Temporal range: Oligocene to Recent
Caspian whipsnake, Coluber caspius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae Oppel, 1811

A colubrid (from Latin coluber, snake) is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family. Colubrid species are found on every continent except Antarctica.^[1]

Description

While most colubrids are nonvenomous (or have venom that is not known to be harmful to humans) and are mostly harmless, a few groups, such as genus Boiga, can produce medically significant bites, while the boomslang, the twig snakes and the Asian genus Rhabdophis have caused human fatalities.^[1][2]

Some of the colubrids are described as opisthoglyphous, meaning they have elongated, grooved teeth located in the back of the upper jaw. The opisthoglyphous dentition appears at least two times in the history of snakes.^[2] These are unlike those of vipers and elapids, which are located in the front.^[1][2]

Classification

The Colubridae are not a natural group, as many are more closely related to other groups, such as elapids, than to each other.^[3] This family has classically been a garbage bin taxon for snakes that do not fit elsewhere.^[4] Ongoing research, hopefully, will sort out the relations within this group.

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

• Calamaria
• Calamorhabdium
• Collorhabdium
• Etheridgeum
• Macrocalamus
• Pseudorabdion
• Rabdion

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 - three genera

Subfamily Psammophiinae

• Hemirhagerrhis
• Malpolon
• Mimophis
• Psammophis
• Psammophylax
• Rhamphiophis

Subfamily Pseudoxenodontinae

• Plagiopholis
• Pseudoxenodon

Subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae - about 20 genera

Subfamily Xenodermatinae

• Achalinus
• Fimbrios
• Oxyrhabdium
• Stoliczkaia
• Xenodermus
• Xylophis

Subfamily Xenodontinae - some 55-60 genera

incertae sedis

• Blythia
• Cercaspis
• Cyclocorus
• Elapoidis
• Gongylosoma
• Haplocercus
• Helophis
• Myersophis
• Omoadiphas (recently discovered)^{[citation needed]}
• Oreocalamus
• Poecilopholis
• Rhabdops
• Tetralepis
• Thermophis
• Trachischium

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.. ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 188–195. ISBN 0-12-178560-2. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Bruna Azara, C. 1995. Animales venenosos. Vertebrados terrestres venenosos peligrosos para el ser humano en España. Bol. SEA, 11: 32-40
3. ^ Lawson, R; Slowinski, J.B.; Crother, B.I.; Burbrink, F.T. (2005). "Phylogeny of the Colubroidea (Serpentes): New evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear genes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 581–601. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.07.016. PMID 16172004. http://naherpetology.org/pdf_files/400.pdf. 
4. ^ Fry, B.G.; Vidal, N.; van der Weerd, L.; Kochva, E.; Renjifo, C. (2009). "Evolution and diversification of the Toxicofera reptile venom system". Journal of Proteomics 72: 127–136. 

External links

• Colubridae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 January 2009.