The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a family of venomous snakes
Description
This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families and subfamilies, on the basis of
fang type. It includes fangless (
aglypha), rear-fanged (
opisthoglypha), fixed-fanged (
proteroglypha), and viper-like (
solenoglypha)
species. Early molecular and physiological data linking this subfamily to others were ambiguous and often contradictory, which means the taxonomy of this subfamily has been highly contentious. The nominate family, Atractaspididae, has itself been moved to and from other taxa, such as potentially forming a trichotomy with Elapidae and Colubridae,
reinforcing the ambiguity of this subfamily.
Geographic range
This subfamily is found in
Africa and the
Middle East.
[Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. .][Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. .][Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes -- a natural history. Second Edition. British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. . (cloth), (paper).]
Venom
Many of these snakes are inoffensive or far too small to envenomate a person effectively. However, some can inflict severe
tissue necrosis; e.g. if the victim's thumb is bitten, the tip of that digit may be lost. Relapses may occur long after the bite.
[Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: ][Archived at Ghostarchive and the
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Wayback Machine: The bites of stiletto snakes are often exceptionally painful.
Very few deaths have resulted from accidents with these snakes, although large individuals of Atractaspis microlepidota and other long-glanded species are very likely to be dangerous.[Atractaspididae at the TIGR Reptile Database] Some of the long-fanged species are able to stab their prey (or an unfortunate human) even while their mouths are closed, and the typical grasp used by to securely hold venomous snakes is not safe for this group.
Genera
|
| Subfamily Atractaspidinae -- 13 Genera |
|
| Amblyodipsas | Wilhelm Peters, 1857 | 9 | glossy snakes | Africa |
| Aparallactus | A. Smith, 1849 | 11 | centipede-eaters | Africa |
| Atractaspis | A. Smith, 1849 | 15 | burrowing asps, stiletto snakes | Africa, Middle-East |
| Brachyophis | Mocquard, 1888 | 1 | Revoil's short snake | Africa |
| Chilorhinophis | Franz Werner, 1907 | 3 | | Africa |
| Hypoptophis | Boulenger, 1908 | 1 | African bighead snake | Africa |
Homoroselaps | Jan, 1858 | 2 | harlequin snakes | Southern Africa |
| Macrelaps | Boulenger, 1896 | 1 | Natal black snake | Africa |
| Micrelaps | Oskar Boettger, 1880 | 4 | two-headed snakes | Africa, Middle-East |
| Poecilopholis | Boulenger, 1903 | 1 | Cameroon racer | Africa |
| Polemon | Jan, 1858 | 13 | snake-eaters | Africa |
| Xenocalamus | Günther, 1868 | 5 | quill-snouted snakes | Africa |
|
Taxonomy
This family was previously classified as a subfamily of the
Colubridae: the Aparallactinae.
Gallery
File:Amblyodipsas microphthalma.jpg| Amblyodipsas type species; eastern purple-glossed snake (A. microphthalma)
File:Aparallactus capensis.jpg| Aparallactus type species; Cape centipede-eater (A. capensis)
File:Atractaspis bibronii full body.jpg| Atractaspis type species; southern stiletto snake (A. bibronii)
File:Homoroselaps lacteus.jpg| Homoroselaps type species; spotted harlequin snake (H. lacteus)
File:Macrelaps microlepidotus head.jpg| Macrelaps type species; Natal black snake (Macrelaps)
File:מחרוזן הטבעות (דו-גוני).jpg| Micrelaps type species; Müller's snake (M. muelleri)
File:Xenocalamus bicolor.jpg| Xenocalamus type species; slender quill-snouted snake (X. bicolor)
See also
-
List of atractaspidid species and subspecies
External links
