Cylindrophiidae
| Cylindrophiidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Red-tailed pipe snake, C. ruffus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Superfamily: | Henophidia |
| Family: | Cylindrophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Genus: | Cylindrophis Wagler, 1828[1] |
| Synonyms | |
The Cylindrophiidae are a monotypic family[2] of nonvenomous snakes containing the genus Cylindrophis found in Asia. These are burrowing snakes and all have checkered black-and-white bellies. Currently, eight species are recognized, with no subspecies.[3] Common names include: Asian pipe snakes.[2]
Geographic range
They are found from Sri Lanka east through Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Malay Archipelago to as far east as Aru Islands off the southwestern coast of New Guinea. They also are found in southern China (Fujian, Hong Kong and on Hainan Island) and in Laos.[1]
Description
The teeth are moderate and subequal, with 10-12 in each Maxillary and none in the Premaxillary. The head is small, not distinct from neck. The eyes are very small, with round or vertically subelliptic pupils. The head has large symmetrical shields, with the nostrils in a single nasal, which forms a suture with its fellow behind the rostral. It has loreal or preocular, and a small postocular. A mental groove is found. The body is cylindrical. The dorsal scales are smooth, in 19, 21, or 23 rows. Ventral scales are slightly larger than or equal to dorsal scales. The tail is extremely short and blunt.[4]
Species
The genus Cylindrophis contains the following eight species.
| Species[3] | Taxon author[3] | Common name[5] | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. aruensis | Boulenger, 1920 | Aru cylinder snake | Indonesia: The Aru Islands |
| C. boulengeri | Roux, 1911 | Boulenger's pipe snake | Indonesia: the islands of Babar, Timor, and Wetar |
| C. isolepis | Boulenger, 1896 | Jampea Island pipe snake | Indonesia: Jampea Island |
| C. lineatus | Blanford, 1881 | Blanford's pipe snake | Indonesia: Borneo and Sarawak |
| C. maculatus | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Ceylonese cylinder snake | Sri Lanka |
| C. melanotus | Wagler, 1828 | black pipe snake | Indonesia: Sulawesi (Celebes), the Tabukan Islands, the Sangihe Islands, the Sula Islands, Halmahera and Batjan |
| C. opisthorhodus | Boulenger, 1897 | island pipe snake | Indonesia: Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo and Flores. |
| C. ruffusT | (Laurenti, 1768) | red-tailed pipe snake | Myanmar and southern China (Fujian, Hong Kong and on Hainan Island), south into Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and the East Indies to Indonesia (the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Buton and the Sula Islands |
T) Type species.[1]
See also
- Cylindrophiidae by common name
- Cylindrophiidae by taxonomic synonyms
- List of snakes, overview of all snake genera
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- 1 2 "Cylindrophiidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
- 1 2 3 "Cylindrophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
- ↑ Boulenger GA. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Ilysiidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Genus Cylindrophis, pp. 134-135).
- ↑ Cylindrophis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 August 2007.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cylindrophiidae. |
- Cylindrophiidae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 November 2008.