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. Zaher et al. proposed to redefine Colubroidea for colubrids and related families, while designating Colubroides as the group containing vipers and cobras as well as colubroids. 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.
Classification
PhylogenyFamilies and Subfamilies
Usual taxonomy:
- 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
- Family: Sibynophiidae Dunn, 1928
- Family: Natricidae Bonaparte, 1838
- Family: Pseudoxenodontidae McDowell, 1987
- Family: Dipsadidae Bonaparte, 1838
- * Subfamily: Carphophiinae Zaher et al., 2009
- * 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
Fossil Colubroidea
North America
; Mexico| Find | NALMA | Formation | Notes | Refs |
| Colubrinae indet. | Pleistocene | Cueva de Abra Travertine | Described from Cueva de Abra Travertine in Tamaulipas. | |
| ?Pituophis sp. | Blancan | Described from Las Tunas Wash; Jeffries Site in Baja California Sur. | ||
| Lampropeltis intermedius | Blancan | Goleta | Described from locality in Michoacán. |
South America
; Legend- Age - bold is type age
- Formation - bold is Lagerstätte
| Find | SALMA | Basin | Formation | Country | Notes | Refs |
| "Colubroidea sp." sic | Laventan | VSM | Villavieja | 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 et sa faune de serpents. Annales de Paléontologie 63:161-190 | ||
| indet. | ChasicoanMayoanLaventan | Solimões | Solimões | 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 | ||
| Colubrinae indet. | Holocene | Subandean Belt | Ñuapua | 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 | ||
| indet. | Chapadmalalan | Sierras de Córdoba | Brochero | 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 : A Review of the Pliocene of Central Argentina. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 25:315-326 | ||
| indet. | Chasicoan | Colorado | Cerro Azul | Described from Cerro La Bota locality in La Pampa; reported with many mammal fossils by | ||
| indet. | Montehermosan | Claromecó | Monte Hermoso | From several localities in Buenos Aires; reported by | ||
| indet. | Colhuehuapian | Golfo San Jorge | Trelew Mb of Sarmiento | 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 Part I: The Booidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 199:417-434 | ||
| indet. | Santacrucian | Austral | Rio Pinturas | From Río Pinturas locality in Santa Cruz; reported by A. M. Albino. 1996. Snakes from the Miocene of Patagonia Part II: The Colubroidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 200:353-360 | ||
| indet. | Santacrucian | Austral | Santa Cruz | 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 Part II: The Colubroidea. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 200:353-360 & |