Pseudaspididae Explained

Pseudaspididae is a small family of elapoid snakes, containing only two species (each in their own monotypic genus) from sub-Saharan Africa. They were formerly placed as a subfamily of the Lamprophiidae, but have been more recently identified as a distinct family.^[1] However, some authors continue to place them as a subfamily of the Lamprophiidae.^[2]

The Asian mock vipers in the genus Psammodynastes were previously placed as disjunct members of this family, but more recent studies support them being a significantly older lineage belonging to their own family, Psammodynastidae.

Genera

The family contains two species in two genera.

• Pseudaspis Fitzinger, 1843
  • Pseudaspis cana (Linnaeus, 1758) (mole snake)
• Pythonodipsas Günther, 1868
  • Pythonodipsas carinata Günther, 1868 (western keeled snake)

Notes and References

1. Zaher H, Murphy RW, Arredondo JC, Graboski R, Machado-Filho PR, Mahlow K, Montingelli GG, Quadros AB, Orlov NL, Wilkinson M, Zhang YP, Grazziotin FG . 6 . Large-scale molecular phylogeny, morphology, divergence-time estimation, and the fossil record of advanced caenophidian snakes (Squamata: Serpentes) . PLOS ONE . 14 . 5 . e0216148 . 2019-05-10 . 31075128 . 6512042 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0216148 . 2019PLoSO..1416148Z . free .
2. Das . Sunandan . Greenbaum . Eli . Brecko . Jonathan . Pauwels . Olivier S. G. . Ruane . Sara . Pirro . Stacy . Merilä . Juha . 2024-04-25 . Phylogenomics of Psammodynastes and Buhoma (Elapoidea: Serpentes), with the description of a new Asian snake family . Scientific Reports . en . 14 . 1 . 9489 . 10.1038/s41598-024-60215-2 . 2045-2322. 11045840 .