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Reptiles Database

Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes (Ophidia)
Superfamily: Xenophidia (Colubroidea or Caenophidia)

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Family Colubridae (Colubrids)

The list of genera below follows Zaher (1999). Suprageneric taxa that may not represent monophyletic units are enclosed within quotation marks. Zaher's list is based on Dowling and Duellman (1978), McDowell (1987), Williams & Wallach (1989), and Meirte (1992).

A few differences to Zaher's list are as follows: Perinetia (Zaher) = Brygophis, Pseudagkistrodon (Z) = Macropisthodon, Opisthoplus (Z) = Tomodon, Tripanurgos (Z) = Oxyrhopus or Siphlophis, Zaocys (Z) = Ptyas. Dryadophis (= Mastigodryas ?) is not listed by Zaher. Zaher also misspelled Scaphiodontophis as Sacaphiodontophis, Hemirhagerrhis as Hemirhagerris, and Ptychophis as Ptycophis.

Zug et al. (2001) also have a couple of misspellings, e.g. Prosymna as Prosyma (page 524) and Emmochliophis as Emmochiliopis (528).

"Incertae sedis" indicates that the systematic status or composition of these subfamilies are unclear.

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List of subfamilies and genera:

"Xenodermatinae" Achalinus Fimbrios Oxyrhabdium Stoliczkaia Xenodermus Xylophis Pareatinae Aplopeltura Asthenodipsas (= Internatus) Pareas Calamariinae Calamaria Calamorhabdium Collorhabdium Etheridgeum Macrocalamus Pseudorabdion Rabdion "Homalopsinae" Bitia Cantoria Cerberus Enhydris Erpeton Fordonia Gerarda Heurnia Homalopsis Myron "Homalopsinae" incertae sedis Brachyorrhos "Boodontinae" (Boaedon) Bothrolycus Bothrophthalmus Chamaelycus Dendrolycus Dipsina Dromophis Gonionotophis Grayia Hormonotus Lamprophis Lycodonomorphus Lycophidion Macroprotodon Mehelya Pseudaspis Pseudoboodon Pythonodipsas Scaphiophis "Boodontinae" incertae sedis Buhoma Duberria Montaspis Pseudoxyrhophiinae Alluaudina Bibilava Compsophis Ditypophis Dromicodryas Exallodontophis Geodipsas Heteroliodon Ithycyphus Langaha Leioheterodon Liophidium Liopholidophis Lycodryas Madagascarophis Micropisthodon Pararhadinaea Brygophis Pseudoxyrhopus Stenophis

Colubrinae Aeluroglena Ahaetulla Argyrogena Arizona Bogertophis Boiga Cemophora Chilomeniscus Chionactis Chironius Chrysopelea Coelognathus Coluber Conopsis Coronella Crotaphopeltis Cryptophidion Cyclophiops Dasypeltis Dendrelaphis Dendrophidion Dinodon Dipsadoboa Dispholidus Dolichophis Dryadophis Drymarchon Drymobius Drymoluber Dryocalamus Dryophiops Eirenis Elachistodon Elaphe Euprepiophis Ficimia Gastropyxis Geagras Gonyophis Gonyosoma Gyalopion Hapsidophrys Hemerophis Hemorrhois Hierophis Lampropeltis Leptodrymus Leptophis Lepturophis Liopeltis Lycodon Lycognathophis Lytorhynchus Maculophis Masticophis Mastigodryas Meizodon Oligodon Opheodrys Oreocryptophis Orthriophis Oxybelis Pantherophis Philothamnus Phyllorhynchus Pituophis Platyceps Prosymna Pseudocyclophis Pseudoficimia Pseustes Ptyas Rhadinophis Rhamnophis Rhinobothryum Rhinocheilus Rhynchocalamus Rhynchophis Salvadora Scaphiodontophis Scolecophis Senticolis Sibynophis Simophis Sonora Spalerosophis Spilotes Stegonotus Stenorrhina Stilosoma Symphimus Sympholis Tantilla Tantillita Telescopus Thelotornis Thrasops Trimorphodon Xenelaphis Xyelodontophis (Zaocys)

Psammophiinae Hemirhagerrhis Malpolon Mimophis Psammophis Psammophylax Rhamphiophis Natricinae Adelophis Afronatrix Amphiesma Amphiesmoides Anoplohydrus Aspidura Atretium Balanophis Clonophis Hologerrhum Hydrablabes Hydraethiops Iguanognathus Macropisthodon Natrix Nerodia Opisthotropis Parahelicops Pararhabdophis Regina Rhabdophis Seminatrix Sinonatrix Storeria Thamnophis Tropidoclonion Tropidonophis Virginia Natricinae incertae sedis Amplorhinus Limnophis Natriciteres Psammodynastes Xenochrophis Pseudoxenodontinae Plagiopholis Pseudoxenodon Dipsadinae Adelphicos Amastridium Atractus Chersodromus Coniophanes Cryophis Dipsas Eridiphas Geophis Hypsiglena Imantodes Leptodeira Ninia Pliocercus Pseudoleptodeira Rhadinaea Sibon Sibynomorphus Tretanorhinus Trimetopon Tropidodipsas Urotheca

Dipsadinae incertae sedis Carphophis Contia Crisantophis Diadophis Diaphorolepis Echinanthera Emmochliophis Enuliophis Enulius Hydromorphus Nothopsis Rhadinophanes Synophis Taeniophallus Tantalophis Xenopholis Xenodontinae Alsophis Antillophis Apostolepis Arrhyton Boiruna Clelia Conophis Darlingtonia Ditaxodon Drepanoides Elapomorphus Erythrolamprus Farancia Helicops Heterodon Hydrodynastes Hydrops Hypsirhynchus Ialtris Liophis Lystrophis Manolepis Oxyrhopus Phalotris Philodryas Phimophis Pseudablabes Pseudoboa Pseudoeryx Psomophis Rhachidelus Saphenophis Siphlophis Tropidodryas Umbrivaga Uromacer Uromacerina Waglerophis Xenodon Xenoxybelis Tribe Tachymenini Calamodontophis Gomesophis Pseudotomodon Ptychophis Tachymenis Thamnodynastes Tomodon Xenodontinae incertae sedis Cercophis Lioheterophis Sordellina "Colubridae" incertae sedis Blythia Cercaspis Cyclocorus Elapoidis Gongylosoma Haplocercus Helophis Myersophis Oreocalamus Poecilopholis Rhabdops Tetralepis Thermophis Trachischium

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Subfamilies in bold are recognized by Zug et al. 2001 who use a modified classification of colubrid subfamilies:

• Boodontinae and Pseudoxyrhophiinae are combined in the subfamily Lamprophiinae
• The Calamariinae and Psammophiinae are included in the Colubrinae
• The Pseudoxenodontinae are included in the Natricinae
• The Dipsadinae are included in the Xenodontinae

Not listed by Zaher and/or Zug et al.:

• Chapinophis
• Cryptophidion (included in Colubrinae by Zug et al. 2001)
• Exallodontophis (previously Pararhadinaea, Pseudoxyrhophiinae; listed under Lamprophiinae by Zug et al.)
• Toxicodryas (often considered as synonym of Boiga)

Other notes:

• Toluca has been synonymized with Conopsis by GOYENECHEA et al. (2002).
• Köhler et al (2001) described a new genus of colubrid, Omoadiphas.
• DOWLING & PINOU (2003) put the following genera into the group "xenodermatids": Diaphorolepis, Emmochliophis, Nothopsis, Synophis, Xenopholis.
• The Lampropeltini contain Arizona, Bogertophis, Cemophora, New World Elaphe/Pantherophis, Pseudelaphe, Lampropeltis, Pituophis, Rhinocheilus, and Senticolis; some author include also Stilosoma (e.g. RODRÍGUEZ-ROBLES & JESUS-ESCOBAR 1999).
• Behavior: The Dipsadini are docile snakes that, in the authors' experience, never defend themselves by biting or even striking with mouth closed. Defensive positional deportment is nonetheless widespread and varied, most commonly including acquisition of a triangular head shape in at least three genera of Dipsadini (and other snakes as well), which is brought about by dorsolateral spreading of the quadratomandibular articulations (CADLE & MYERS 2003).
• In a recent study by SCHÄTTI & MONSCH (2004) Eirenis was nested within Hierophis.
• Coluber and Elaphe have been split into a number of genera (Pantherophis, Orthriophis, Oreophis, Oreocryptophis, Euprepiophis, Pseudelaphe, Zamenis) by UTIGER et al. (2002, 2005). Search synonyms for these genera.
• Tachymenini after Franco et al. (2006).

References

Dowling, Herndon Glenn & Duellman, William Edward (1978)
Systematic herpetology: A synopsis of families and higher categories.
Publications in Herpetology, No. 7 (1974-1978), New York: HISS Publ. Herpetol.

Glaw, F.; Nagy, Z.T.; Franzen, M. & Vences, M. (2007)
Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the pseudoxyrhophiine snake genus Liopholidophis (Reptilia, Colubridae): evolution of its exceptional sexual dimorphism and descriptions of new taxa. [Bibilava]
Zoologica Scripta 36: 291–300

Goyenechea, Irene & Flores-Villela, Oscar (2002)
Taxonomic status of the snake genera Conopsis and Toluca (Colubridae).
J. Herpetol. 36 (1): 92-95

KÖHLER, G., L.D. WILSON & J.R. MCCRANIE (2001).
A new genus and species of colubrid snake from the Sierra de Omoa of northwestern Honduras (Reptilia, Squamata).
Senckenbergiana biologica 81: 269-276

Heise, P. J.;Maxson, L. R.;Dowling, H. G.;Hedges, S. B. (1995)
Higher-level snake phylogeny inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes
Mol Biol Evol 12 (2): 259-65

Highton, R.; Hedges, S.B.; Hass, C.A. & Dowling, H.G. (2002)
Snake relationships revealed by slowly-evolving proteins: further analysis and a reply.
Herpetologica 58 (2): 270-275

Hollis, J.L. (2006)
Phylogenetics of the genus Chironius Fitzinger 1826 (Serpenes, Colubridae) based on morphology.
Herpetologica 63 (4): 435-452

McDowell, S.B. (1987)
Systematics. In: R.A. Siegel, J.T. Collins, and S.S. Novak (eds.), Snakes: ecology and evolutionary biology.
MacMillan Publ. Co, New York, pp. 3-50

Meirte, D. (1992)
Clés de détermination des serpents d'Afrique.
Tervuren, Belgique: Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale, 152 pp.

Nagy, Z. T., U. Joger, M. Wink, F. Glaw & M. Vences (2003)
Multiple colonization of Madagascar and Socotra by colubrid snakes: evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial gene phylogenies [position of Exallodontophis and Dromicodryas].
Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 270 (1533): 2613-2621

RODRÍGUEZ-ROBLES, JAVIER A. & JOSE´ M. DE JESUS-ESCOBAR (1999)
Molecular systematics of New World lampropeltinine snakes (Colubridae): implications for biogeography and evolution of food habits.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 68: 355&endash;385

Schätti B. & Monsch, P. (2004)
Systematics and phylogenetic relationships of Whip snakes (Hierophis Fitzinger) and Zamenis andreana Werner 1917 (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae).
Rev. suisse Zool. 111 (2): 239-256

Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schätti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf and Vincent Ziswiler (2002)
Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae).
Russ. J. Herpetol. 9 (2): 105-124.

Utiger, U.; Schatti, B. & Helfenberger, N. (2005)
The oriental colubrine genus Coelognathus FITZINGER, 1843 and classification of old and new world racers and ratsnakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae, Colubrinae).
Russ. J. Herpetol. 12 (1): 39-60

Voris, Harold K., Michael E. Alfaro, Daryl R. Karns, G. Lucas Starnes, Emma Thompson and John C. Murphy (2002)
Phylogenetic relationships of the Oriental-Australian rear-fanged water snakes (Colubridae: Homalopsinae) based on Mitochondrial DNA sequences.
Copeia. 2002 (4):906-915

Williams,K.L. & Wallach,V. (1989)Snakes of the World. 1. Synop
sis of snakes generic names.
Krieger, Malabar, Florida, 234 pp.

Zaher, Hussam (1999)
Hemipenial morphology of the south American Xenodontine snakes, with a proposal for a monophyletic Xenodontinae and a reappraisal of colubroid hemipenes.
Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. (No. 240): 1-168

Zug,G.R.; Vitt, L.J. & Caldwell, J.P. (2001)
Herpetology, 2nd ed.
Academic Press San Diego, London, [...]XIV + 630 pp.

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Online References:

• Dasypeltis.com
• Kingsnakes and Milk Snakes (Lampropeltis sp.)
• Philodryas.com
• Mud Snakes (Homalopsinae)
• Annotated Checklist of Boiga sp. (by Gernot Vogel)