The Anomochilidae, or anomochilids, are a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of snakes, created for the genus ''Anomochilus'',
[ which currently contains three ]species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. It is commonly called the dwarf pipe snake.
Description
Anomochilids are small snakes, with museum specimens measuring up to in total length (including tail). The eyes are reduced, and there are no teeth on the premaxiila, pterygoid, or palatine. A tracheal lung is absent. Anomochilids retain some pelvic elements, indicated externally by cloacal spurs. The tails are relatively short. Females have two well developed oviducts. Anomochilids have white or yellow patterns against a darker reddish background.
Behaviour and habitat
Anomochilids are probably fossorial
A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees.
Prehistoric eviden ...
.[
]
Diet
Cranial and dentary morphology suggests that anomochilids probably eat small invertebrates.
Reproduction
One of the museum specimens of ''Anomochilus'' was found to contain four eggs, suggesting oviparity, but nothing else is known of anomochilid reproduction or behavior.
Taxonomy
Phylogenetic analysis suggests that ''Anomochilus'' is morphologically intermediate between the infraorder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Scolecophidia
The Scolecophidia, commonly known as blind snakes or thread snakes, are an infraorder of snakes. They range in length from . All are fossorial (adapted for burrowing). Five families and 39 genera are recognized. The Scolecophidia infraorder is mos ...
(blindsnakes) and the infraorder Alethinophidia
:''Common names: advanced snakes.''
The Alethinophidia are an infraorder of snakes that includes all snakes other than blind snakes and thread snakes. Snakes have long been grouped into families within Alethinophidia based on their morphology, e ...
(true snakes), and is sister to all other alethinophidians.
The genus ''Anomochilus'' has in the past been placed in the family Aniliidae
The Aniliidae are a monotypic family created for the monotypic genus ''Anilius'' that contains the single species ''A. scytale''. Common names include American pipe snake and false coral snake. It is found in South America. This snake posses ...
.
The three species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of anomochilids much resemble those of the family Cylindrophiidae
The Cylindrophiidae are a monotypic Family (biology), family of secretive, semifossorial, non-venomous snakes containing the genus ''Cylindrophis'' found in southeastern Asia. These are burrowing snakes and most have a banded pattern on the belly ...
(Asian pipesnakes). However, anomochilids lack both a chin groove and teeth on their pterygoid Pterygoid, from the Greek for 'winglike', may refer to:
* Pterygoid bone, a bone of the palate of many vertebrates
* Pterygoid processes of the sphenoid bone
** Lateral pterygoid plate
** Medial pterygoid plate
* Lateral pterygoid muscle
* Medial ...
.
Geographic range
They are found in West Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
and on the Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n island of Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
.
Species
T) Type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
.
Taxonomic history
The name of the genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
was originally ''Anomolochilus'', which was given to it by T.W. van Lidth de Jeude in 1890. In 1901, C. Berg pointed out the name was already occupied by a genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of Coleoptera
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
(beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s), and he proposed as a replacement the name ''Anomochilus''.
The genus, together with ''Cylindrophis
The Cylindrophiidae are a monotypic family of secretive, semifossorial, non-venomous snakes containing the genus ''Cylindrophis'' found in southeastern Asia. These are burrowing snakes and most have a banded pattern on the belly. Currently, thir ...
'', was previously assigned to the subfamily Cylindrophinae under the family Uropeltidae
The Uropeltidae, also known Common name, commonly as the shieldtails or the shield-tailed snakes, are a Family (biology), family of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes native to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Gr ...
, but both were removed by Cundall et al. (1993) to prevent a paraphyletic relationship.
References
Further reading
* Berg, "Charles". 1901. "Herpetological Notes". ''Comunicaciones del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires'' 1 (8): 289–291. (''Anomochilus'', new name, p. 289). (in English).
* Cundall D, Wallach V, Rossman DA. 1993. "The systematic relationships of the snake genus ''Anomochilus'' ". ''Zool. J. Linnean Soc.'' 109 (3): 275–299. (Anomochilidae, new family).
External links
Anomochilids at Life is Short, but Snakes are Long
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5087342
Snake genera