Colubrinae

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Colubrinae
Temporal range: Oligocene-Holocene, 33.9–0 Ma[1]
File:Elaphe situla.jpg
European ratsnake, Zamenis situla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Oppel, 1811
Genera

Nearly 100, see text

The Colubrinae are a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae. It includes numerous genera, and although taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number, the Reptile Database lists 717 species in 92 genera as of September 2019.[2] It is the second largest subfamily of colubrids, after Dipsadinae.[2] Many of the most commonly known snakes are members of this subfamily, including rat snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, vine snakes, and indigo snakes.[2]

Distribution

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Colubrine snakes are distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity in North America, Asia, northern Africa, and the Middle East. There are relatively few species of colubrine snakes in Europe, South America, Australia, and southern Africa, and none in Madagascar, the Caribbean, or the Pacific Islands.[2][3][4]

Description

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Colubrine snakes are extremely morphologically and ecologically diverse. Many are terrestrial, and there are specialized fossorial (e.g. Tantilla) and arboreal (e.g. Oxybelis) groups, but no truly aquatic groups. Some of the most powerful constrictors (e.g. Pantherophis, Pituophis, Lampropeltis) are members of this group, as are a few snakes that have strong enough venom to kill humans (i.e. boomslangs [Dispholidus] and twigsnakes [Thelotornis]).[5][6]

Classification

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Colubrinae is one of several subfamilies within the family Colubridae, the largest family of snakes. Its phylogeny can be shown in the cladogram below:[7]

Colubridae

Within Colubrinae, genera and species seem to make up five distinct radiations[8] that are to varying degrees broadly similar in terms of ecology and geographic distribution, although increased sampling is needed to determine whether all species currently placed in Colubrinae fit into one of these groups. These correspond roughly to the historically recognized tribe names Sonorini, Colubrini, Boigini/Lycodontini, Dispholidini, and Lampropeltini.

Coluber is the type genus of both Colubrinae and Colubridae and the basis for the name Colubroidea, and it is one of only three snake genera named by Carl Linnaeus still in use for a snake today.[9][10]

List of genera

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File:Sonora semiannulata semiannulata, Ozark County, Missouri, by Peter Paplanus.jpg
Sonora semiannulata (groundsnake)
File:Rhynchophis boulengeri head (2).jpg
Gonyosoma boulengeri (rhino rat snake)
File:Ularburong Boiga dendrophila.jpg
Boiga dendrophila (mangrove snake)
File:Dispholidus typus.jpg
Dispholidus typus (boomslang)
File:CoronellaAustriaca3.jpg
Coronella austriaca (smooth snake)

A group of 4 genera historically placed in Colubrinae have recently been called a separate subfamily, Ahaetuliinae, in a few analyses. These are Ahaetulla Link, 1807, Chrysopelea Boie, 1827, Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890, and Dryophiops Boulenger, 1896.[7]

References

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  • Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons

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