''Oxyrhopus'', the false coral snakes, is 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 ...

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 ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s that belong to the subfamily Dipsadinae. The genus is found in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and the northern part 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 ...

, and it includes 15 distinct

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 ...

Species

The following 15 species are recognized as being valid."''Oxyrhopus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Oxyrhopus clathratus ''Oxyrhopus clathratus'', Duméril's false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Brazil and Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), ...

'' A.M.C. Duméril,

Bibron Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hir ...

& A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 - Duméril's false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus doliatus ''Oxyrhopus doliatus'', Bibron's false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana ...

'' A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 - Bibron's false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus emberti ''Oxyrhopus emberti'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green fr ...

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...

, Reichle & Entiauspe-Neto, 2020 *''

Oxyrhopus erdisii ''Oxyrhopus erdisii'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great S ...

'' *''

Oxyrhopus fitzingeri ''Oxyrhopus fitzingeri'', also known commonly as Fitzinger's false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northwestern South America. There are two recognized subspecies. Etymology The specific na ...

'' (

Tschudi Tschudi (variants: Schudy, Shoudy, Shudi, Schudi, Tschudy) is a surname common in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. History The Tschudi name can be traced back to 870. After Glarus joined the Swiss Confederation in 1352, various members of the fa ...

, 1845) - Fitzinger's false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus formosus ''Oxyrhopus formosus'' (vernacular names: beautiful calico snake, Formosa false coral snake) is a neotropical snake of the family Dipsadidae Dipsadinae is a large subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Dipsadidae). ...

'' (

Wied-Neuwied Wied-Neuwied was a German statelet in northeastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located northeast of the Rhine River flanking the northern side of the city of Neuwied. Wied-Neuwied emerged from the partitioning of Wied. Its status was elevate ...

, 1820) - Formosa false coral snake, beautiful calico snake *''

Oxyrhopus guibei ''Oxyrhopus guibei'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South America. It is often called the false coral snake, Braz H, Manço DD (2011)"Natural nests of the false-coral snake ''Oxyrhopus guibei'' in sout ...

'' Hoge & Romano, 1977 *''

Oxyrhopus leucomelas ''Oxyrhopus leucomelas'', Werner's false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = ...

'' ( F. Werner, 1916) - Werner's false coral snake *'' Oxyrhopus marcapatae'' (

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 1902) - Boulenger's false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus melanogenys ''Oxyrhopus melanogenys'', commonly known as Tschudi's false coral snake, is a Colubridae, colubrid snake species found in the northern part of South America. Description Adults may attain a total length of , which includes a tail long. Dorsu ...

'' (Tschudi, 1845) - Tschudi's false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus occipitalis ''Oxyrhopus occipitalis'' is a neotropical snake of the family Dipsadidae. It occurs in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Venezuela. It is often confused with ''Oxyrhopus formosus ''Oxyrhopus formosus'' (vernacular names: beautifu ...

'' (

, 1824) *'' Oxyrhopus petolarius'' ( Linnaeus,

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) - forest flame snake *''

Oxyrhopus rhombifer ''Oxyrhopus rhombifer'', the Amazon false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link ...

'' A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 - Amazon false coral snake *''

Oxyrhopus trigeminus ''Oxyrhopus trigeminus '', the Brazilian false coral snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo ...

'' A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 - Brazilian false coral snake *'' Oxyrhopus vanidicus''

Lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the River ...

, 2009 Lynch JD (2009)
"Snakes of the genus ''Oxyrhopus'' (Colubridae: Squamata) in Colombia: taxonomy and geographic variation".
''Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo'' 49 (25): 319-337. (''Oxyrhopus vanidicus'', new species). The former ''

Oxyrhopus venezuelanus ''Oxyrhopus'', the false coral snakes, is a genus of colubrid snakes that belong to the subfamily Dipsadinae. The genus is found in Central America and the northern part of South America, and it includes 15 distinct species. Species The follow ...

'' Shreve, 1947 is currently considered a synonym of ''Oxyrhopus doliatus''. ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': In the above list, a binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Oxyrhopus''.

Description

Species in the genus ''Oxyrhopus'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck. Eye moderate or small. Pupil vertically elliptic. Body cylindrical or slightly laterally compressed. Tail moderate or long.

Dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

smooth, with apical pits, and arranged in 19 rows at midbody. Maxillary teeth 10-15, subequal, followed after a gap by two enlarged grooved teeth, located just behind the posterior border of the eye.

Species

Description

References

Further reading