Giant serpentine

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The division of living beings into systematics is a continuous subject of research. Different systematic classifications exist side by side and one after the other. The taxon treated here has become obsolete due to new research or is not part of the group systematics presented in the German-language Wikipedia.

The southern rock python ( Python natalensis ) belongs to the superfamily of the python-like .
The idol snake ( Boa constrictor ) belongs to the superfamily of Boa-like .
Cylindrophis ruffus belongs to the superfamily of the Uropeltoidea .

The giant snake-like (Henophidia) are a group of sometimes very large snakes that occur on all tropical continents.

features

The giant snake-like snakes include the largest and longest snakes, including the reticulated python ( Python reticulatus ) with a maximum length of about 7 meters and the great anaconda ( Eunectes murinus ), which can be up to 9 meters long. Most are morphologically conservative, but there are also some derived forms that live underground, most of which are only a meter or less in length. The giant snake-like are often next to the sewer as rudiments of hind limbs , the pelvic spur visible remain in this group often remnants of the pelvic girdle present. The optic foramen is located between the frontal bone and parietal bone and the Meckel's canal on the lower jaw. The premaxillary of the giant serpentine is dentate.

Systematics

Contrary to previous assumptions, the giant serpentines are probably not a monophyletic group, but only an artificial combination of primeval snake families.

The families pythons (Pythonidae), boa snakes (Boinae) and sand boas ( Erycinae) were grouped together as subfamilies in the family of giant snakes (formerly Boidae) due to physical characteristics. Together with the families and subfamilies listed below, they formed the superfamily of the giant snake-like (Henophidia), one of three superfamilies within the snakes (Serpentes). They were considered to be more developed than the superfamily of the blind snake-like (Scolecophidia or Typhlopoidea), consisting of the three families American blind snakes (Anomalepidae), blind snakes (Typhlopidae) and slim blind snakes (Leptotyphlopidae), but more rudimentary than the snake-like and viper-like (Colubroidia) or Xenophidia .

Former classification of the giant snake-like based on physical characteristics:

  • Superfamily: burrowing and giant snake-like (Boidea or Henophidia)
    • Family: roller snakes (Aniliidae / Ilysiidae)
    • Family: burrowing snakes (Anomochilidae)
    • Family: giant snakes (Boidae)
      • Subfamily: Boaschlangen (Boinae)
      • Subfamily: Sand boas (Erycinae)
      • Subfamily: Pythons (Pythoninae)
    • Family: Bolyer snakes (Bolyeridae)
    • Family: Pointed-head pythons (Loxocemidae)
    • Family: Erdboas (Tropidophiidae)
      • Subfamily: Tropidophiinae
      • Subfamily: Ungaliophiinae
      • Subfamily: Xenophidioninae
    • Family: Turtles (Uropeltidae)
      • Subfamily: real tortoiseshell (Uropeltinae)
      • Subfamily: cylinder snakes (Cylindrophiinae)
    • Family: Earth snakes (Xenopeltidae)

Current genetic studies, however, refute this close relationship. In conclusion, the systematics of snakes has not yet been clarified, but several studies agree that the closest relatives of the python snakes ( Pythonidae) are the pointed head pythons (Loxocemidae) and the earth snake families (Xenopeltidae). Together they form the superfamily Pythonoidae. The two families Loxocemidae and Xenopeltidae were previously a group within the giant snake-like group that is basal to the giant snakes, for which Lee et al. 14 had described morphological differences. Studies have yet to show which of these differences are still valid for the new grouping. The closest relatives of the Boinae are besides the sand boas also the dwarf boas .

The following is a list of the families that were previously placed in the giant snake-like, according to the systematics of the Reptile Database , which tries to map the current status of the systematics of snakes :

The one former superfamily of the giant snake-like was split up into three new superfamilies, the internal structure of which has also changed. The position of roller snakes, bolyer snakes and earth boas cannot yet be determined with sufficient certainty.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilfried Westheide & Reinhard Rieger: Special Zoology Part 2: Vertebrae and Skull Animals , 1st edition, Spectrum Academic Publishing House Heidelberg • Berlin, 2004, ISBN 3-8274-0307-3
  2. ↑ Volker Storch, Ulrich Welsch: Systematic Zoologie , Fischer, 1997, ISBN 3-437-25160-0
  3. ^ A b Michael SY Lee and John D. Scanlon: Snake phylogeny based on osteology, soft anatomy and ecology . In: Biological Reviews . tape 77 , 2002, p. 333-401 .
  4. ↑ a b Michael SY Lee, Andrew F. Hugall, Robin Lawson and John D. Scanlon: Phylogeny of snakes (Serpentes): combining morphological and molecular data in likelihood, Bayesian and parsimony analyzes . In: Systematics and Biodiversity . tape 5 , 2007, p. 371-389 , doi : 10.1017 / S1477200007002290 .
  5. ↑ a b The Reptile Database: Higher Taxa in Extant Reptiles - Ophidia (Serpentes) - Snakes.