Cubophis Hedges & Vidal

Hedges, Blair, Couloux, Arnaud & Vidal, Nicolas, 2009, Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeography of West Indian racer snakes of the Tribe Alsophiini (Squamata, Dipsadidae, Xenodontinae), Zootaxa 2067, pp. 1-28 : 14-16

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.187018

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6220087

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/674E87DD-F755-FFED-FF36-930AC9EEB9C5

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Cubophis Hedges & Vidal
status

 

Genus Cubophis Hedges & Vidal , New Genus

Type species. Coluber cantherigerus Bibron, 1840:27 .

Diagnosis. Species in this genus have 17 midbody scale rows, 159–187 ventrals, 101–133 subcaudals, 2 apical scale pits, 8 upper labials, 10 lower labials, 13–17 total maxillary teeth, and 17–21 dentary teeth ( Table 2). Cubophis differs in at least one of these characters from all other alsophiine genera except Hypsirhynchus . It differs from Hypsirhynchus in hemipenial characters such as the presence of enlarged papillate body calyces in the basal region and medial surface of the lobes ( Zaher 1999).

Content. Five species (13 species + subspecies) are included in the genus ( Table 1).

Distribution. The genus is distributed in the western Caribbean: Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Swan Islands ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Etymology. The generic name refers to its distribution, centered on Cuba and nearby islands.

Remarks. Species of Cubophis ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C) are large species of racers which occur sympatrically with small ( Arrhyton ) and moderate-sized ( Caraiba ) species of racers on Cuba. Our finding that the Cayman Island taxa are most closely related to Cubophis vudii supports their elevation from subspecies of Cubophis cantherigerus to full species. Zaher et al. (2009) classified all of these species together with Borikenophis portoricensis and other West Indian species in Ocyophis Cope , but our results ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1. A and 4 View FIGURE 4. A ) contradict that decision (see Remarks in Hypsirhynchus )

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

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