Biology:Atractaspidinae
| Atractaspidinae | |
|---|---|
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| Atractaspis engaddensis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Atractaspididae |
| Subfamily: | Atractaspidinae Günther, 1858 |
| Synonyms | |
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The Atractaspidinae are a subfamily of snakes[1] found in Africa and the Middle East, commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes, or burrowing asps. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.[2]
Description
This subfamily includes many genera formerly classed in other families and subfamilies, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless (aglyphous), rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous), fixed-fanged (proteroglyphous), and viper-like (solenoglyphous) species. Early molecular and physiological data linking this subfamily to others were ambiguous and often contradictory, which means the taxonomy of this subfamily has been highly contentious. The nominate family, Atractaspididae, has itself been moved to and from other taxa, reinforcing the ambiguity of this subfamily.
Geographic range
This subfamily is found in Africa and the Middle East.[3][4][5][6]
Venom
Many of these snakes are inoffensive or far too small to envenomate a person effectively. However, some can inflict severe tissue necrosis; e.g. if the victim's thumb is bitten, the tip of that digit may be lost. Relapses may occur long after the bite.[7][8]
Very few deaths have resulted from accidents with these snakes, although large individuals of Atractaspis microlepidota and other long-glanded species are very likely to be dangerous.[9] Some of the long-fanged species are able to stab their prey (or an unfortunate human) even while their mouths are closed, and the typical grasp used by herpetologists to securely hold venomous snakes is not safe for this group.[10][11] This ability to stab sideways even with a closed mouth is the basis for an English name used for some of them: "side-stabbing snakes".[4]
Genera
| Subfamily Atractaspidinae -- 13 Genera | ||||
| Genus[2] | Taxon author[2] | Species Count[2] |
Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amblyodipsas | W. Peters, 1857 | 9 | glossy snakes | Africa |
| Aparallactus | A. Smith, 1849 | 11 | centipede-eaters | Africa |
| Atractaspis | A. Smith, 1849 | 15 | burrowing asps, stiletto snakes[2] | Africa, Middle-East |
| Brachyophis | Mocquard, 1888 | 1 | Revoil's short snake | Africa |
| Chilorhinophis | F. Werner, 1907 | 3 | Africa | |
| Elapotinus | Jan, 1862 | 1 | Jan's snake | Africa |
| Hypoptophis | Boulenger, 1908 | 1 | African bighead snake | Africa |
| Homoroselaps[12] | Jan, 1858 | 2 | harlequin snakes | Southern Africa |
| Macrelaps | Boulenger, 1896 | 1 | Natal black snake | Africa |
| Micrelaps | Boettger, 1880 | 4 | two-headed snakes | Africa, Middle-East |
| Poecilopholis | Boulenger, 1903 | 1 | Cameroon racer | Africa |
| Polemon | Jan, 1858 | 13 | snake-eaters | Africa |
| Xenocalamus | Günther, 1868 | 5 | quill-snouted snakes | Africa |
Taxonomy
This family was previously classified as a subfamily of the Colubridae: the Aparallactinae.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Pyron, R. Alexander (2011). "The phylogeny of advanced snakes (Colubroidea), with discovery of a new subfamily and comparison of support methods for likelihood trees". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 58 (2): 329–342. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.006. PMID 21074626. http://200.46.218.171/bds-cbc/sites/default/files/Pyron_et_al_2011.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Atractaspididae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=563895.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN:0-8069-6460-X.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN:0-88359-029-8.
- ↑ Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes -- a natural history. Second Edition. British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. ISBN:0-8014-1095-9 (cloth), ISBN:0-8014-9164-9 (paper).
- ↑ Margres, Mark J; Aronow, Karalyn; Loyacano, Jacob; Rokyta, Darin R (2013). "The venom-gland transcriptome of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) reveals high venom complexity in the intragenomic evolution of venoms". BMC Genomics 14 (1): 531. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-14-531. ISSN 1471-2164. PMID 23915248.
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "I Was Bitten - Flesh Eating Snakebite". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p31K9gfBev8.
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Stiletto Snake". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSx1fiLVxLs.
- ↑ Atractaspididae at the TIGR Reptile Database
- ↑ Kurnik Haviv and Kochva (1999). A snake bite by the burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis. Toxicon 37(1): 223-227.
- ↑ Deufel and Cundall (2003). Feeding in Atractaspis (Serpentes: Atractaspididae): a study in conflicting functional constraints. Zoology 106: 43-61.
- ↑ "Search results | the Reptile Database". http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=Atractaspidinae&submit=Search.
External links
- Atractaspidinae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 November 2008.
- Atractaspids at Life is Short but Snakes are Long
- Stiletto snakes at Tetrapod Zoology
Wikidata ☰ Q2869616 entry
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