The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

venomous snakes Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...

found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes, or burrowing asps. Currently, 12

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 ...

are recognized.

Description

This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families and subfamilies, on the basis of

fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fan ...

type. It includes fangless ( aglyphous), rear-fanged (

opisthoglyphous A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs. Skull The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than it ...

), fixed-fanged (

proteroglyphous A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs. Skull The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than it ...

), and viper-like (

solenoglyphous A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs. Skull The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger ...

)

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

. Early molecular and physiological data linking this subfamily to others were ambiguous and often contradictory, which means the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of this subfamily has been highly contentious. The nominate family, Atractaspididae, has itself been moved to and from other taxa, such as potentially forming a trichotomy with Elapidae and Colubridae, reinforcing the ambiguity of this subfamily.

Geographic range

This subfamily is found in

and the

.Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. .Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes -- a natural history. Second Edition. British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. (cloth), (paper).

Venom

Many of these snakes are inoffensive or far too small to envenomate a person effectively. However, some can inflict severe

tissue necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, or trauma which result in the unregulated dige ...

; e.g. if the victim's thumb is bitten, the tip of that digit may be lost. Relapses may occur long after the bite. Very few deaths have resulted from accidents with these snakes, although large individuals of ''

Atractaspis microlepidota The small-scaled burrowing asp (''Atractaspis microlepidota'') is a species of atractaspidid snake from West Africa. Geographic range ''Atractaspis microlepidota'' is found in Senegal, Gambia, southern Mauritania, and western Mali. Notice t ...

'' and other long-glanded species are very likely to be dangerous. Some of the long-fanged species are able to stab their prey (or an unfortunate human) even while their mouths are closed, and the typical grasp used by

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...

s to securely hold venomous snakes is not safe for this group.Deufel and Cundall (2003). ''Feeding in Atractaspis (Serpentes: Atractaspididae): a study in conflicting functional constraints.'' Zoology 106: 43-61. This ability to stab sideways even with a closed mouth is the basis for an English name used for some of them: "side-stabbing snakes".

Genera

Taxonomy

This family was previously classified as a subfamily of the

Colubridae 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 ev ...

: the Aparallactinae.

Gallery

File:Amblyodipsas_microphthalma.jpg, Amblyodipsas type species; eastern purple-glossed snake (A. microphthalma) File:Aparallactus_capensis.jpg, Aparallactus type species; cape centipede-eater (A. capensis) File:Atractaspis_bibronii_full_body.jpg, Atractaspis type species; southern stiletto snake (A. bibronii) File:Homoroselaps_lacteus.jpg, Homoroselaps type species; spotted harlequin snake (H. lacteus) File:Macrelaps_microlepidotus_head.jpg, Macrelaps type species; Natal black snake (M. microlepidotus) File:מחרוזן הטבעות (דו-גוני).jpg, Micrelaps type species; Müller's snake (M. muelleri)

References

External links

*
Atractaspids at Life is Short but Snakes are Long

Stiletto snakes at Tetrapod Zoology
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q840931 Tetrapod subfamilies Taxa named by Albert Günther