| Aniliidae | |
|---|---|
| Spectacled Caiman and False Coral Snake by Maria Sibylla Merian | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Infraorder: | Alethinophidia |
| Family: | Aniliidae Stejneger, 1907 |
| Genus: | Anilius Oken, 1816 |
| Species: | A. scytale |
| Binomial name | |
| Anilius scytale (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Synonyms | |
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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, two subspecies are recognized, including the typical form described here.[4]
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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 feeds 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. It is considered to be the snake that most recembles the original and ancestral snake condition, such as a lizardlike skull .[5]
Found in the tropics of northern South America from southern and eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana south through the Amazon Basin of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The type locality given is "Indiis."[1]
| Subspecies[4] | Taxon author[4] | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. s. phelpsorum | Roze, 1958 | ||
| A. s. scytale | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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.
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