Colubroidea

Colubroidea is a superfamily of snakes in the clade Colubroides that includes Colubridae, with some studies splitting Colubridae into multiple families that make up Colubroidea. Historically, Colubroidea also included other caenophidian snakes such as cobras and vipers, as these snakes form a clade. However these groups are now divided into several distinct, but related, families.^[1][2][3][4] Zaher et al. (2009) proposed to redefine Colubroidea for colubrids and related families, while designating Colubroides as the group containing vipers and cobras as well as colubroids.^[1] The ReptileDatabase considers Colubroidea to be composed of Colubridae and the members of its sister group, Elapoidea, and does not recognize the division of Colubridae into multiple families.^[5]

Colubroidea
Eastern ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Clade:	Colubroides
Superfamily:	Colubroidea Oppel, 1811
Families
Colubridae (Sibynophiinae, Dipsadinae, and Natricinae are considered distinct by some studies) Incertae sedis †Sardophis

Classification

Phylogeny^[1][2][3][4]

Colubroidea	Colubridae Grayiinae Calamariinae Ahaetuliinae Colubrinae Sibynophiidae Natricidae Pseudoxenodontidae Dipsadidae Carphophiinae Xenodontinae Dipsadinae

Families and Subfamilies^[1][2][3][4]

Usual taxonomy:^[5]

• Family: Colubridae Oppel, 1811
  • Subfamily: Grayiinae Günther, 1858
  • Subfamily: Calamariinae Bonaparte, 1838
  • Subfamily: Ahaetullinae Figueroa, McKelvy, Grismer, Bell & Lailvaux, 2016
  • Subfamily: Colubrinae Oppel, 1811
  • Subfamily: Sibynophiinae Dunn, 1928
  • Subfamily: Natricidae Bonaparte, 1838
  • Subfamily: Pseudoxenodontidae McDowell, 1987
  • Subfamily: Xenodontinae Dunn, 1928
  • Subfamily: Dipsadinae Bonaparte, 1838

Alternate taxonomy:^[4]

• Family: Sibynophiidae Dunn, 1928
• Family: Natricidae Bonaparte, 1838
• Family: Pseudoxenodontidae McDowell, 1987
• Family: Dipsadidae Bonaparte, 1838
  • Subfamily: Carphophiinae Zaher et al., 2009^[1]
  • Subfamily: Xenodontinae Dunn, 1928
  • Subfamily: Dipsadinae Bonaparte, 1838
• Family: Colubridae Oppel, 1811
  • Subfamily: Grayiinae Günther, 1858
  • Subfamily: Calamariinae Bonaparte, 1838
  • Subfamily: Ahaetullinae Figueroa, McKelvy, Grismer, Bell & Lailvaux, 2016
  • Subfamily: Colubrinae Oppel, 1811

Unknown Genera incertae sedis (not currently placed in a family, usually because of the absence of genetic data, but suspected to be colubroids based on morphology)

• Blythia
• Elapoidis
• Gongylosoma
• Lycognathophis
• Oreocalamus
• †Paraxenophis
• †Periergophis
• Poecilopholis
• Tetralepis

Fossil Colubroidea

North America

Mexico

Locations of Colubroidea fossil finds in Mexico
Cueva de Abra Travertine
Goleta Formation#
Las Tunas Wash; Jeffries Site

Find	NALMA	Formation	Notes	Refs
Colubrinae indet.	Pleistocene	Cueva de Abra Travertine	Described from Cueva de Abra Travertine in Tamaulipas by W. W. Dalquest and E. Roth. 1970. Late Pleistocene mammals from a cave in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 15(2):217-230	[6]
?Pituophis sp.	Blancan		Described from Las Tunas Wash; Jeffries Site in Baja California Sur by W. E. Miller. 1980. The Late Pliocene Las Tunas Local Fauna from Southernmost Baja California, Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 54(4):762-805	[7]
Lampropeltis intermedius	Blancan	Goleta	Described from locality in Michoacán by C. A. Repenning. 1962. The Giant Ground Squirrel Paenemarmota. Journal of Paleontology 36(3):540-556	[8]

South America

Locations of Colubroidea fossil finds in South America
Pleisto-Holocene ages
Pliocene ages
Miocene ages

Legend

• Age - bold is type age (SALMA)
• Formation - bold is Lagerstätte

Find	SALMA	Basin	Formation	Country	Notes	Refs
"Colubroidea sp." sic	Laventan	VSM	Villavieja	Colombia	Described from same Los Mangos Fishbed in Huila; Colombophis portai and Eunectes stirtoni by R. Hoffstetter and J.-C. Rage. 1977. Le gisement de vertébrés Miocènes de La Venta (Colombie) et sa faune de serpents. Annales de Paléontologie (Vertébrés) 63(2):161-190	[9]
indet.	ChasicoanMayoanLaventan	Solimões	Solimões	Brazil	Described from Talismã, upper Purus River locality in Amazonas; the snakes Colombophis spinosus, aff. Epicrates sp., Eunectes sp. , the turtle Chelonoidis sp., crocodylians Acresuchus pachytemporalis and Caiman brevirostris, lizard cf. Paradracaena sp., and many mammals by Cozzuol, Mario Alberto (2006), "The Acre vertebrate fauna: Age, diversity, and geography", Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 21 (3): 185–203, Bibcode:2006JSAES..21..185C, doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2006.03.005, retrieved 2017-08-15	[10]
Colubrinae indet.	Holocene	Subandean Belt	Ñuapua	Bolivia	Described from Ñuapua 2 locality in Chuquisaca; snakes Tupinambis teguixin, Boidae indet., Crotalidae indet., turtles, frogs Leptodactylus cf. ocellatus, Bufo cf. paracnemis, birds Crypturellus tataupa, Podiceps minor, Podiceps auritus cornutus, Platalea ajaja, Rhea cf. Americana, Anas sp., Coccyzus sp., Dendrocygna sp., Jacana sp., Nyctibius sp., Platalea sp., cf. Rhynchotus sp., Columbidae indet., Falconidae indet., Passeriformes indet., Rallidae indet., fossils of Tolypeutus matacus, Ceratrophrys cf. ornata, and Leposternon sp., and many mammals including Homo sapiens by Marshall, Larry G.; Sempere, Thierry (1991), "The Eocene to Pleistocene vertebrates of Bolivia and their stratigraphic context: A review", Revista técnica de YPFB, 12: 631–652, retrieved 2017-08-15	[11]
indet.	Chapadmalalan	Sierras de Córdoba	Brochero	Argentina	Described from Valle de Traslasierra - Paso del Río Arriba and Pedernara Cliffs locality in Córdoba; with Rhinella cf. arenarum, R. cf. spinulosa, Teius sp., ?Liolaemus sp., Iguanidae indet. and the mammals Chukimys favaloroi and Echimyidae indet. by L. E. Cruz, J. C. Fernicola, and C. A. Carignano. 2018. New Vertebrates of the Brochero Formation (Córdoba, Argentina): A Review of the Pliocene of Central Argentina. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 25:315-326	[12]
indet.	Chasicoan	Colorado	Cerro Azul	Argentina	Described from Cerro La Bota locality in La Pampa; reported with many mammal fossils by Verzi, Diego H.; Montalvo, Claudia I.; Deschamps, Cecilia M. (2008), "Biostratigraphy and biochronology of the Late Miocene of central Argentina: Evidence from rodents and taphonomy", Geobios, 41: 145–155, Bibcode:2008Geobi..41..145V, doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2006.09.005, retrieved 2017-08-15	[13]
indet.	Montehermosan	Claromecó	Monte Hermoso	Argentina	From several localities in Buenos Aires; reported by R. L. Tomassini, C. I. Montalvo, C.M. Deschamps and T. Manera. 2013. Biostratigraphy and biochronology of the Monte Hermoso Formation (early Pliocene) at its type locality, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 48:31-42 and C. M. Deschamps, G. I. Esteban, and M. S. Bargo. 2001. El registro más antiguo del género Lestodon Gervais, 1855 (Xenarthra, Tardigrada, Mylodontidae) (Montehermosense, Plioceno Temprano). Ameghiniana 38(2):151-156	[14][15][16][17]
indet.	Colhuehuapian	Golfo San Jorge	Trelew Mb of Sarmiento	Argentina	Described from same Gaiman locality in Chubut; Gaimanophis tenuis, Waincophis sp., the turtle Chelonoidis gringorum and many mammals by A. M. Albino. 1996. Snakes from the Miocene of Patagonia (Argentina) Part I: The Booidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 199(3):417-434	[18]
indet.	Santacrucian	Austral	Rio Pinturas	Argentina	From Río Pinturas locality in Santa Cruz; reported by A. M. Albino. 1996. Snakes from the Miocene of Patagonia (Argentina) Part II: The Colubroidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 200(3):353-360	[19]
indet.	Santacrucian	Austral	Santa Cruz	Argentina	Sole reptile described from Santa Cruz Formation locality in Santa Cruz together with the terror birds Psilopterus bachmanni, P. lemoinei, Phororhacos longissimus, Patagornis marshi, Brontornis burmeisteri, penguin Paraptenodytes antarcticus and other birds Eoneornis australis, Eutelornis patagonicus, Anisolornis excavatus, Protibis cnemialis, Opisthodactylus patagonicus, Liptornis hesternus, and many mammals by A. M. Albino. 1996. Snakes from the Miocene of Patagonia (Argentina) Part II: The Colubroidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 200(3):353-360 & Vizcaíno, Sergio F.; Kay, Richard F.; Bargo, Susana (2012), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation, Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–370, ISBN 9780521194617, retrieved 2017-10-21	[20][21]