The Pythonoidea, also known as pythonoid snakes, are a superfamily of

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 contains pythons (family

Pythonidae The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 42 species are currently recognized. Distributi ...

) and other closely related python-like snakes (but not boas, which are in a separate superfamily called

Booidea The Booidea, also known as booid snakes, are a superfamily of snakes that contains boas (family Boidae) and other closely related boa-like snakes (but not pythons, which are in a separate superfamily called Pythonoidea). As of 2017, Booidea conta ...

). As of 2022, Pythonoidea contains 39 species, including the eponymous genus ''

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

'' and 10 other genera of pythons ('' Antaresia'', '' Apodora'', ''

Aspidites ''Aspidites'' is a genus of pythons endemic to Australia. The name can be translated as "shield bearer" and pertains to the symmetrically shaped head scales. Currently, two species are recognized. Description These snakes lack the heat-sensit ...

'', '' Bothrochilus'', ''

Leiopython ''Leiopython'' is a genus of snakes in the family Pythonidae. Species The genus ''Leiopython'' contains the following species: * D’Albertis' python, northern white-lipped python, ''L. albertisii'' *Karimui Basin white-lipped python, southern ...

'', ''

Liasis ''Liasis'' is a genus of pythons found in Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia. Currently, three extant species are recognized and one giant fossil species ''L. dubudingala'', estimated to have been around 10 m (33 ft) in length. Geogr ...

'', ''

Malayopython ''Malayopython'' is a genus of constricting snakes in the family Pythonidae. The genus is native to India and Southeast Asia. It contains two species, both of which were previously classified within the genus ''Python''. However, multiple studies ...

'', ''

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...

'', '' Nyctophilopthon'' and ''

Simalia ''Simalia'' is a genus of snakes in the family Pythonidae. Taxonomy ''Simalia'' , was considered a taxonomic synonym of *''Liasis'' (a genus of non-venomous pythons found in Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia) and *''Morelia'' (a genus of larg ...

''), all in the family Pythonidae, as well as two lesser-known families, Loxocemidae (one species, the Mexican burrowing python, in the genus ''

Loxocemus :''Common names: Mexican python, Mexican burrowing python, Mexican burrowing snake.'' ''Loxocemus bicolor'',the sole member of the monotypic family Loxocemidae, is a species of python-like snake found in Mexico and Central America. No subspecies ...

'') and Xenopeltidae (two species of sunbeam snakes in the genus ''

Xenopeltis ''Xenopeltis'', the sunbeam snakes, are the sole genus of the monotypic family Xenopeltidae, the species of which are found in Southeast Asia. Sunbeam snakes are known for their highly iridescent scales. Two species are recognized, each one wit ...

''). The taxonomy of pythons, boas, and other henophidian snakes has long been debated, and ultimately the decision whether to assign a particular clade to a particular Linnaean rank (such as a

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

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 ...

, or

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

) is arbitrary. The clade name Pythonoidea emphasizes the relatively close evolutionary relationship among these 43 species, which last shared a common ancestor about 62 I: 46-78million years ago, in contrast to the more distant relationship between pythonoids and their next closest relatives, uropeltoids (the most recent common ancestor between pythonoids and uropeltoids lived ~73 I:59-87million years ago).

References

Alethinophidia {{Alethinophidia-stub