- Disteira
-
Disteira Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Hydrophiidae Genus: Disteira Species Disteira kingii
Disteira major
Disteira nigrocincta
Disteira walli
...Disteira is a genus of sea snakes.
History
Disteira was characterized by Boulenger in 1890 as having grooved maxillary teeth following the first pair of poison fangs.[1] However, later dental examination under more powerful magnification found all sea snakes have grooves in their teeth[2], some deep and wide channels visible to the naked eye, others only at the base of the tooth and requiring magnification to observe.[3] In light of those new findings, Disteira and Hydrophis were merged until McDowell resurrected Disteira as a separate genus in 1972 to accommodate new species.[4] He redefined Disteira as possessing a broad dorsal portion of the venom gland muscle called the Oxyuranus pattern.[5]
Although McDowell rolled the monotypic genera Astrotia - which contains only Stoke's seasnake - into Disteira, that classification is not widely adopted.[5]
References
- ^ Boulenger, George Albert (1890), "Reptilia and Batrachia", Fauna of British India (Taylor and Francis), http://books.google.com/?id=q8AYAAAAYAAJ&pg=408
- ^ Stejneger, Leonhard (1907), Herpetology of Japan and Adjacent Territory, Harvard University, pp. 418, http://books.google.com/?id=S-0XAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA4
- ^ Denburgh, J.V. and Thompson, J.C. (December 31, 1908), "Description of a New Species of Sea Snake from the Philippine Islands", California Academy of Sciences 3: 41–42, http://books.google.com/?id=kiehk65EOv0C&pg=PA41
- ^ Gopalakrishnakone, P (1994), Sea Snake Toxinology, NUS Press, pp. 177, ISBN 9971691930, http://books.google.com/?id=i2yTrfdnnq8C&pg=PA176
- ^ a b Roger S. Thorpe, Wolfgang Wüster, Anita Malhotra (1997), Venomous Snakes: Ecology, Evolution, and Snakebite, Oxford University Press, pp. 15–21, ISBN 0198549865, http://books.google.com/?id=YXJcpUTklAwC&pg=PA21
This Alethinophidia article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
