INTEGBI 175LF Lecture 27: 26-27 - Snake Phylogeny III
14 May 2018
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●Anomochilidae : Dwarf Pipe Snakes
○Range: SE Asia
○1g, 3 sp.
○Ecology: burrowers, eat small prey
○Description:
■Pelvic vestiges
■Small mouth
●Cylindrophiidae : Asian Pipe Snakes
○Range: SE Asia, Sri Lanka
○1g, 13 sp.
○Ecology:
■Relatively large, elongate prey
■Burrowers, but come abv ground
○Description:
■Flat tail w/ vivid ventral band
■Pelvic vestiges
●Uropeltidae : Shield-Tail Snakes
○Range: India and Sri Lanka
○7g, 55 sp.
○Ecology: highly fossorial, eat worms
○Description:
■No pelvic vestiges
■Short tail w/ keratinous shield
■Holds soil plug and blocks burrow behind them, anchors
●Xenopeltidae : Sunbeam Snakes
○Range: SE Asia
○1g, 2 sp.
○Ecology:
■Nocturnal rainforest burrowers
■Eat skinks and other verts
○Description:
■Iridescent and smooth
■No pelvic vestiges
■2 lungs
■Hinges in teeth - fold posteriorly and snap up if prey tries to back out
●Loxocemidae : Dwarf Python
○Range: Mex and C Am
○Monotypic - Loxocemus bicolor
○Ecology:
■Eat mammals and eggs
■Terr burrowers in leaf litter
○Description:
■Upturned snout
