Cyclocorinae

The Cyclocorinae are a subfamily of lamprophiid snakes endemic to the Philippines.[1] It was erected in 2017 to house 4 enigmatic, endemic genera containing 7 species and one undescribed lineage that are more closely related to one another than to members of the subfamilies Atractaspidinae and Aparallactinae or to other subfamilies of Lamprophiidae. Previously placed within Colubridae, a 2017 study by Weinell et al.[1] found strong support the monophyly of Cyclocorinae within Lamprophiidae, but its position relative to the other subfamilies of Lamprophiidae is not resolved. Cyclocorinae was found to be a possible sister group to Atractaspidinae. Despite high support for a close relationship from DNA, there are no unambiguous morphological characteristics that unite these four genera.

Cyclocorinae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Lamprophiidae
Subfamily: Cyclocorinae
Genera

The species of Cyclocorinae likely began to diverge beginning ∼35 mya (CI 29–41 mya). Because snakes of this subfamily are not known from Palawan Island, their method of dispersal from mainland Asia to the Philippine archipelago must have differed from that of most Philippine reptiles and amphibians, which are thought to have rafted over on the Palawan "Ark".[2][3][4]

The members of this subfamily are among the most poorly-known snakes in the world. Very little data is available on their geographic distribution, ecology, behavior, or conservation status.[5]

Genera and species

There are four genera, three with two species each and one with one species, and one unnamed lineage:

  • Genus Cyclocorus
    • C. lineatus
    • C. nuchalis
  • Genus Hologerrhum
    • H. philippinum
    • H. dermali
  • Genus Myersophis
    • M. alpestris
  • Genus Oxyrhabdium
    • O. leporinum
    • O. modestum
  • “Unnamed Leyte-Samar lineage” represented by the museum specimen KU 337269, collected on Samar Island and awaiting formal description[1]
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References
  1. Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M. (2018). "Discovery of an old, archipelago-wide, endemic radiation of Philippine snakes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 119: 144–150. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.11.004. PMID 29162550.
  2. Blackburn, D. C.; Bickford, D. P.; Diesmos, A. C.; Iskandar, D. T.; Brown, R. M. (2010). "An ancient origin for the enigmatic Flat-headed Frogs (Bombinatoridae: Barbourula) from the islands of Southeast Asia". PLOS ONE. 5 (8): e12090–10. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...512090B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012090. PMID 20711504.
  3. Brown, R. M.; Su, Y. C.; Barger, B.; Siler, C. D.; Sanguila, M. B.; Diesmos, A. C.; Blackburn, D. C. (2016). "Phylogeny of the island archipelago frog genus Sanguirana: another endemic Philippine radiation that diversified 'Out-of-Palawan'" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94: 531–536. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.010. PMID 26477738.
  4. Siler, C. D.; Oaks, J. R.; Welton, L. J.; Linkem, C. W.; Swab, J. C.; Diesmos, A. C.; Brown, R. M. (2012). "Did geckos ride the Palawan raft to the Philippines?" (PDF). Journal of Biogeography. 39 (7): 1217–1234. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02680.x.
  5. Leviton, A. E.; Siler, C. D.; Weinell, J. L.; Brown, R. M. (2018). "Synopsis of the snakes of the Philippines: a synthesis of data from biodiversity repositories, field studies, and the literature". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 64: 399–468.
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