Oxybelis
Encyclopedia
Oxybelis is a genus
of colubrid
snake
s known commonly as Vine Snakes. They are found from the southwestern United States
, through Central America
, to the northern countries of South America
. Though similar in appearance to the Asia
n species of vine snake
of the genus Ahaetulla
, they are not related, and are an example of convergent evolution
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s known commonly as Vine Snakes. They are found from the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, to the northern countries of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Though similar in appearance to the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n species of vine snake
Vine snake
Vine snake can refer to several kinds of snake from the taxonomic family Colubridae:*Genus Ahaetulla, Japanese vine snakes.*Genus Chironius, Sipos or blunt-headed vine snakes.*Genus Oxybelis, Neotropical vine snakes....
of the genus Ahaetulla
Ahaetulla
Ahaetulla is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly referred to as vine snakes, or whip snakes. They are mildly venomous and what is commonly termed as 'rear-fanged' or more appropriately, opisthoglyphous, meaning their enlarged teeth or fangs intended to aid in venom delivery are located in the back...
, they are not related, and are an example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
.
Species
There are four widely recognized species in the genus Oxybelis.- Mexican Vine Snake, Oxybelis aeneusOxybelis aeneusOxybelis aeneus, the Mexican Vine Snake or Brown Vine Snake, is a colubrid snake that ranges from southern Arizona in the United States, through Mexico to northern South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It feeds mainly on lizards, but also eats frogs and birds.This is an extremely slender snake...
(WaglerJohann Georg WaglerJohann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826...
, 1824) - Cope's Vine Snake, Oxybelis brevirostris (CopeEdward Drinker CopeEdward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
, 1861) - Green Vine Snake, Oxybelis fulgidusOxybelis fulgidusThe Green Vine Snake, Oxybelis fulgidus, is a long, slender arboreal Colubrid snake that inhabits Central America and northern South America.-Description:...
(DaudinFrançois Marie DaudinFrançois Marie Daudin was a French zoologist.With legs paralyzed by childhood disease, he studied of physics and natural history, but ended up being devoted to the latter.Daudin wrote in 1799–1800...
, 1803) - Roatan Vine Snake, Oxybelis wilsoni Villa & McCranie, 1995