Topic
Xenodermatidae
About: Xenodermatidae is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2 publications have been published within this topic receiving 76 citations.
Papers
1 Jan 2013
TL;DR: An up-to-date phylogeny details approximate time periods during which divergences occurred during the evolutionary history of snakes and shows evolutionary relationships among the families as the authors now know them.
Abstract: Snakes are limbless squamates that share a set of unique skeletal traits that separate them from remaining squamates. Approximately 3400 species of snakes are placed in 22 families. Snakes capture, manipulate, and consume their prey using only the body and mouth. Some capture prey with their mouth and simply swallow them, some hold their prey with their mouth and coils of their body, some constrict prey, and yet others inject highly toxic venoms that disable or kill prey. Major modifications of cranial anatomy (unique to snakes) aid in subduing and swallowing prey. Similar to lizards, they occur on all continents except Antarctica. A number of snakes are marine, and although most marine snakes inhabit tropical or subtropical continental shelf regions in the Atlantic Ocean in the Old World, one is pelagic, reaching the Neotropics. Conservation status of snakes is summarized. An up-to-date phylogeny details approximate time periods during which divergences occurred during the evolutionary history of snakes and shows evolutionary relationships among the families as we now know them. Taxonomic accounts provide information on generic content, distribution, characteristics, and biology of each family.
13 citations
TL;DR: It is discovered that at least part of sex chromosomes is homologous across all families of caenophidian snakes (Acrochordidae, Xenodermatidae, Pareatidae, Viperidae, Homalopsidae, Colubridae, Elapidae and Lamprophiidae) and that advanced snakes are another example of ectothermic amniotes with a long-term stability of sex chromosome comparable with endotherms.
Abstract: Amniote vertebrates possess various mechanisms of sex determination, but their variability is not equally distributed. The large evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in viviparous mammals and birds was believed to be connected with their endothermy. However, some ectotherm lineages seem to be comparably conserved in sex determination, but previously there was a lack of molecular evidence to confirm this. Here, we document a stability of sex chromosomes in advanced snakes based on the testing of Z-specificity of genes using quantitative PCR (qPCR) across 37 snake species (our qPCR technique is suitable for molecular sexing in potentially all advanced snakes). We discovered that at least part of sex chromosomes is homologous across all families of caenophidian snakes (Acrochordidae, Xenodermatidae, Pareatidae, Viperidae, Homalopsidae, Colubridae, Elapidae and Lamprophiidae). The emergence of differentiated sex chromosomes can be dated back to about 60 Ma and preceded the extensive diversification of advanced snakes, the group with more than 3000 species. The Z-specific genes of caenophidian snakes are (pseudo)autosomal in the members of the snake families Pythonidae, Xenopeltidae, Boidae, Erycidae and Sanziniidae, as well as in outgroups with differentiated sex chromosomes such as monitor lizards, iguanas and chameleons. Along with iguanas, advanced snakes are therefore another example of ectothermic amniotes with a long-term stability of sex chromosomes comparable with endotherms.
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |