Aniliidae
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| Aniliidae | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anilius scytale (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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- Common names: false coral snake, pipe snake,[2] burrowing false coral snake.
The Aniliidae are a monotypic family[2] created for the monotypic genus Anilius[3] that contains the species A. scytale,[4] found in South America. This snake possesses a vestigial pelvic girdle that is visible as a pair of cloacal spurs. It is ovoviviparous. The diet consists mainly of amphibians and other reptiles. Currently, 2 subspecies are recognized, including the typical form described here.[4]
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[edit] Description
This species is found in Amazonian South America, the Guianas and Trinidad and Tobago. It is a moderately sized snake attaining a size of about 70 cm (27 inches) in length. It is reported to be ovoviviparous and feed on beetles, caecilians (burrowing amphibians), amphisbaenids (legless lizards), small fossorial snakes, fish, and frogs. It has a cylindrical body of uniform diameter and very short tail; brightly banded in red and black ( but without yellow bands); reduced eyes lying beneath large head scales.
[edit] Subspecies
| Subspecies[4] | Authority[4] | Common name | Geographic range |
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| A. s. phelpsorum | Roze, 1958 | ||
| A. s. scytale | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
[edit] Taxonomy
Modern classifications restrict the family to the South American Red Pipe Snake or False Coral Snake Anilius scytale, with the previously included Asian genus Cylindrophis raised to a separate family Cylindrophiidae.
[edit] See also
- List of snakes -- Overview of all snake families and genera.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b Aniliidae (TSN 209611). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
- ^ Anilius (TSN 209612). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d Anilius scytale (TSN 209613). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
[edit] Further reading
- Boos, Hans E.A. (2001). The snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. ISBN 1-58544-116-3.
- Martins, M., and M. E. Oliveira. 1999. Natural history of snakes in forests of the Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetological Natural History 6:78-150. pdf
[edit] External links
- Aniliidae at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 19 August 2007.
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