Water snakes

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Water snakes
Grass snake (Natrix natrix)

Grass snake ( Natrix natrix )

Systematics
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Toxicofera
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Adders (Colubridae)
Subfamily : Water snakes
Scientific name
Natricinae
Bonaparte , 1838

The water snakes (Natricinae) are a species-rich subfamily of the snakes (Colubridae) over 210 species in 32 genera. They include species from very different regions of the world. Among other things, the European water snakes ( Natrix ), to which the grass snake ( Natrix natrix ) belongs, the American swimming snakes, the garter snakes and fish snakes belong to the Natricinae.

features

The mostly slender snakes are non-toxic. Small mammals, amphibians, fish, lizards, eggs and young birds, and earthworms in smaller species, are taken as food, although the range of prey varies somewhat from species to species.

Most of these snakes like to live near bodies of water and are good swimmers too.

The diagnostic feature of the group is the special shape of the sulcus spermaticus , a channel on the inside of the hemipenis , in which the sperm are directed into the female cloaca during copulation. The spermatic sulcus of the Natricinae is single, strongly curved and forms a bare region on the central inner surface of the two hemipenis. The calyces , small and unicellular structures that form a complex pattern of folds, are present in many snakes .

Systematics

External system

The subfamily of water snakes (Natricinae) is to the family of snakes counted (Colubridae) which to order Squamata belongs (Squamata).

Internal system

As with many snake taxas, the internal system is still the subject of scientific discussion. Within the Natricinae, the American genera form a monophyletic group, the tribe Thamnophiini. The following genera are counted among the water snakes:

Amphiesma vibakari
Viper snake ( Natrix maura )
Tiger snake ( Rhabdophis tigrinus )
Thamnophis atratus

Tribe Thamnophiini (New World Natricinae)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Natricinae in The Reptile Database
  2. ↑ a b Hussam Zaher, Felipe Gobbi Grazziotin, John E. Cadle, Robert W. Murphy, Julio Cesar de Moura-Leite, Sandro L. Bonatto: Molecular phylogeny of advanced snakes (Serpentes, Caenophidia) with an emphasis on South American Xenodontines: a revised classification and descriptions of new taxa. Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo), Vol. 49 No. 11, 2009, p. 139, doi : 10.1590 / S0031-10492009001100001 PDF

Web links

Commons : Water Snakes (Natricinae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files