Xenopholis is a genus of rear-fanged snakes of the family Colubridae.
| Xenopholis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Dipsadinae |
| Genus: | Xenopholis W. Peters, 1869 |
Geographic range edit
The genus Xenopholis is endemic to South America.[1]
Description edit
The genus Xenopholis is characterized by distinctive vertebrae. The spinous processes are expanded dorsally, forming shields which are rugose and divided by a median groove.[2]
Species edit
Three species are recognized as being valid.[3]
- Xenopholis scalaris (Wucherer, 1861) - Wucherer's ground snake
- Xenopholis undulatus (Jensen, 1900) - Jensen's ground snake
- Xenopholis werdingorum Jansen, L. Álvarez & Köhler, 2009
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Xenopholis.
References edit
- ^ Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Genus Xenopholis, p. 113).
- ^ Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Genus Xenopholis, p. 231, Figure 16, three views of vertebrae).
- ^ Genus Xenopholis at The Reptile Database
Further reading edit
- Peters W (1869). "Über neue Gattungen und neue oder weniger bekannte Arten von Amphibien ( ... Xenopholis ... ) ". Monatsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1869: 432–447. (Xenopholis, new genus, p. 440). (in German).
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