Cylindrophiidae

Cylindrophiidae
red-tailed pipe snake, C. ruffus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Superfamily:	Henophidia
Family:	Cylindrophiidae Fitzinger, 1843
Genus:	Cylindrophis Wagler, 1828[1]
Synonyms
Cylindrophes Fitzinger, 1843 Tortricidae Jan, 1863 Aniliidae Stejneger, 1907 Cylindrophinae McDowell, 1975 Cylindropheinae McDowell, 1975 Cylindrophiidae Cundall, Wallach & Rossman, 1993[1]

Common names: Asian pipe snakes.^[2]

The Cylindrophiidae are a monotypic family^[2] containing the genus Cylindrophis found in Asia. These are burrowing snakes and all have checkered black-and-white bellies. Currently, 8 species are recognized and no subspecies.^[3]

Geographic range

Found from Sri Lanka east through Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Malay Archipelago to as far east as Aru Islands off the southwestern coast of New Guinea. Also found in southern China (Fujian, Hong Kong and on Hainan Island) and in Laos.^[1]

Description

Teeth moderate, subequal, 10-12 in each maxillary; none in premaxillary. Head small, not distinct from neck. Eyes very small, with round or vertically subelliptic pupil. Head with large symmetrical shields. Nostril in a single nasal, which forms a suture with its fellow behind the rostral. No loreal or preocular; a small postocular. A mental groove. Body cylindrical. Dorsal scales smooth, in 19, 21, or 23 rows. Ventrals slightly larger than or equal to dorsal scales. Tail extremely short and blunt.^[4]

Species

The genus Cylindrophis contains the following eight species.

Species[3]	Taxon author[3]	Common name[5]	Geographic range[1]
C. aruensis	Boulenger, 1920	Aru cylinder snake	Indonesia: The Aru Islands.
C. boulengeri	Roux, 1911	Boulenger's pipe snake	Indonesia: the islands of Babar, Timor, and Wetar.
C. isolepis	Boulenger, 1896	Jampea Island pipe snake	Indonesia: Jampea Island.
C. lineatus	Blanford, 1881	Blanford's pipe snake	Indonesia: Borneo and Sarawak.
C. maculatus	(Linnaeus, 1758)	Ceylonese cylinder snake	Sri Lanka.
C. melanotus	Wagler, 1828	black pipe snake	Indonesia: Sulawesi (Celebes), the Tabukan Islands, the Sangihe Islands, the Sula Islands, Halmahera and Batjan.
C. opisthorhodus	Boulenger, 1897	island pipe snake	Indonesia: Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo and Flores.
C. ruffusT	(Laurenti, 1768)	red-tailed pipe snake	Myanmar and southern China (Fujian, Hong Kong and on Hainan Island), south into Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and the East Indies to Indonesia (the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Buton and the Sula Islands.

^T) Type species.^[1]

See also

• Cylindrophiidae by common name
• Cylindrophiidae by taxonomic synonyms
• List of snakes, overview of all snake genera.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
2. ^ ^{a b} "Cylindrophiidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=563896. Retrieved 17 August 2007. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Cylindrophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=209616. Retrieved 17 August 2007. 
4. ^ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume I. London. pp. 134-135.
5. ^ Cylindrophis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 August 2007.

External links

• Cylindrophiidae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 November 2008.