colubrid

Colubridae Fossil 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 snake that is a member of the family Colubridae. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes about two thirds of all snake species on earth. Colubrid species are found on every continent, except Antarctica.^[1]

Description

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.^[1]

Some colubrids are described as opisthoglyphous, meaning that they have elongated, grooved teeth, located in the back of the upper jaw. These are unlike those of vipers and elapids that are located in the front.^[1]

Classification

The Colubridae are 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 garbage bin taxon for snakes that don't fit anywhere else. It is hoped that ongoing research 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 - 3 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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Colubridae

• Colubridae at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 23 January 2009.