''Liophis'' is a former

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 ...

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

snakes Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joi ...

. They have a wide range of nondescript and local names, among these "water snakes", "''mapepires''", "corals" or "racers".

Taxonomy and systematics

The status of the genus ''Liophis'' on the mainland of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

is highly uncertain, and some authorities assign some species to the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

'' Dromicus,

Erythrolamprus ''Erythrolamprus'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly known as false coral snakes, native to Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern part of South America. They appear to be coral snake mimics. Species These species are currently ...

, Leimadophis, Lygophis'', and ''

Philodryas ''Philodryas'' is a genus of colubrid snakes endemic to South America, commonly called green snakes. Description Species in the genus ''Philodryas'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck, with distinct ''canthus rostralis''. ...

''. Others consider ''Dromicus'' and ''Leimadophis'' to be synonyms of ''Liophis''. Freiberg M (1982). ''Snakes of South America''. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. . ("Note" on pp. 94-95).

Taxonomy and systematics

References

Further reading