INTEGBI 175LF Lecture 26: 26-27 - Snake Phylogeny I
14 May 2018
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Lectures 25 and 26: SNAKE PHYLOGENY
“ Scolecophidia ”: Anomalepididae, Leptotyphlopidae, Gerrhopilidae, Xenotphlopidae, Typhlopidae
○All retain pelvic vestiges
○Small mouth - not posterior to orbit
○Fossorial:
■Cylindrical, worm-like bodies
■Undiferentiated ventrals
■Vestigial eyes beneath scales
■Terminal cloaca
○Feeding:
■Poorly known
■Specialized on ants and termites
■Locate w/ pheromone trails
■Anal secretions : to avoid attack
■mandib/max raking evolved convergently
●Anomalepididae : Primitive/Dawn Blindsnakes
○Range: disj S Am
○4g, 18 sp.
○Description:
■Poorly known
■Transversely arranged max teeth, reduced number on lower jaw ( max raking )
●Leptotyphlopidae : readsnakes
○Range: broad, SW US to S Am, W Ind, Afr, ME
○13g, 139 sp.
○Ecology:
■Deep as 49 t
■desert/tropical/savannah
○Description:
■Mandibular raking
■Cloacal secretions
●Typhlopidae : Blindsnakes
○Range: C and S Am, Afr, ME, SE Asia, Aust
○18g, 269 sp.
○Ecology:
■Diverse habitats
■Some SE Asian taxa are arboreal - root systems of epiphytes
○Description:
■Small to 1 m
■Maxillary raking
○Indotyphlops braminus - Flowerpot Snake: triploid parthenogen, circumtropic
●Gerrhopilidae : Black Blindsnakes
○Range: India, SE Asia, New Guinea
○2g, 22 sp.
