Lamprophiidae


The Lamprophiidae are a family of snakes found mostly in Africa, but also in parts of southern Europe and western Asia. A few species reach southeastern Asia. There are 322 species as of April 2019.

Biology

Lamprophiids are a very diverse group of snakes. Many are terrestrial but some are fossorial, arboreal, or semi-aquatic. Some are fast-moving whereas others are slow. They are found in deserts, grasslands, temperate and tropical forests, steppes and mountains. Together they feed on mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Some species use constriction to subdue their prey, whereas others are highly venomous and dangerous to humans. Tooth morphology within Lamprophiidae is probably more variable than within any other snake family. Most species are oviparous.

Classification

Most lamprophiids were historically considered to be members of the subfamily Lamprophiinae in the family Colubridae. The following classification follows Pyron et al., 2010, whose finding that lamprophiids are more closely related to elapids has been repeated by several other studies. Together these two groups are sometimes referred to as the Elapoidea. In fact, some studies have found that Elapidae is nested within Lamprophiidae, a finding that, if confirmed, will likely necessitate taxonomic changes to restore monophyly within the Elapoidea.

List of subfamilies and genera