Coniophis

Coniophis is an extinct genus of snakes from the late Cretaceous period. The type species, Coniophis precedes, was about 7 cm long and had snake-like teeth and body form, with a skull and a largely lizard-like bone structure.^[3] It probably ate small vertebrates. The fossil remains of Coniophis were first discovered at the end of the 19th century in the Lance Formation of the US state of Wyoming, and were described in 1892 by Othniel Charles Marsh.^[3] For the genus Coniophis, a number of other species have been described. Their affiliation is, however, poorly secured, mostly based on vertebrae descriptions from only a few fossils.

Coniophis Temporal range: Turonian-Priabonian ~94–34 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Holotype vertebra of Coniophis precedens
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Infraorder:	Alethinophidia
Genus:	†Coniophis Marsh, 1892
Species
Coniophis carinatus Hecht, 1959[1][2] Coniophis cosgriffi Armstrong-Ziegler, 1978[1][2] Coniophis dabiebus Rage & Werner, 1999[1][2] Coniophis platycarinatus Hecht, 1959[1][2] Coniophis precedens Marsh, 1892[1][2]

Coniophis sp. vertebra

Fossil distribution

Fossils of Coniophis have been found in:^[2]

Cretaceous

• Milk River and Frenchman Formations, Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan)
• Intertrappean Beds, India
• Wadi Milk Formation, Sudan
• United States
  • Hell Creek Formation, Montana
  • Fruitland Formation, New Mexico
  • Naturita, Cedar Mountain, Straight Cliffs, Kaiparowits and Wahweap Formations, Utah
  • Lance Formation, Wyoming

Paleocene

• Santa Lucía Formation (Tiupampan), Bolivia
• Jbel Guersif Formation, Morocco
• Fort Union Formation, Montana, United States

Eocene

• Itaboraí Formation, Brazil
• France
• Aït Ouarhitane Formation, Morocco
• United States
  • Chadron Formation, North Dakota
  • Bridger, Wagon Bed and Wasatch Formations, Wyoming