OPHIDIA. 



365 



appearance in the Cretaceous, but this is doubtful. Fragments 

 are however found in the Eocene (Palaeophis, etc.), and J the 

 remains become more extensive as the present time irf ap- 

 proached. 



Fam. 1. Typhlopidae. Burrowing snakes with reduced eyes covered by 

 the scales, and without teeth in the lower jaw ; maxilla transversely placed 

 and toothed, palate toothless. The cranial bones are solidly united ; there 

 are no ectopterygoids or squamosals (supratemporal) and the pterygoids 

 are not united to the quadrates ; vestiges of the 

 pelvis as a single bone on each side ; widely dis- 

 tributed, absent from New Zealand. Helminth o- 

 phis Ptrs., trop. Amer.; Typhlops Schn. (Fig. 199), 

 S. Eur., S. Asia, Afr., trop. Amer., Australia, about 

 110 species ; Typhlophis Ptrs., Brazil and Guiana. 



Fam. 2. Glauconiidae. Like the former, but 

 maxillaries normal and toothless, lower jaw 

 toothed. The pelvic girdle and hind limbs show 

 the least reduction in any snake ; the ilium, pubis 

 and ischium can be distinguished, the latter form- 

 ing a symphysis, and there is a vestige of a femur. 

 Anomalepis Jan, Mexico ; Glauconia Gr., Africa, 

 S.W. Asia., Amer., 30 species. 



Fam. 3. Boidae. Usually large snakes with 

 vestiges of the hind limbs appearing as spurs on 

 each side of the anus ; the ventral scales are trans- 

 versely enlarged and the eyes are functional and 

 free. Teeth are present on the mandibles, ptery- 

 goids, palatines, maxillaries and in some genera 

 on the premaxillaries. Maxilla, palatine, ptery- 

 goid moveable ; ectopterygoid present and 

 pterygoid extending to quadrate ; squamosal 

 present, suspending quadrate : prefrontal in con- 

 tact with nnsal ; vestiges of pelvis and hind limbs 

 present ; worldwide except New Zealand . prefer 

 wooded districts, climbing trees ; crush their prey 

 in the coils of the body ; oviparous ; 20 genera. 



Aspidites Ptrs., N. Australia ; Boa L., trop. 

 Amer., Madagascar ; B. constrictor L., S. Amer., 

 to 11 ft. ; Bolieria Gr.. Round Island near 

 Mauritius ; Caldbaria Gr., W. Afr. ; Casarea 

 Gr., Round Island near Mauritius ; Charina Gr., 

 W. N.-Amer. ; Chondropython Meyer, New 

 Guinea ; Corallus Daud., trop. Amer., Mada- 

 gascar ; Enygrus Wagl., Moluccas, Papuasia, 

 Polynesia ; Epicrates Wagl., trop. Amer. ; Eryx 

 Daud., N. and E. Afr., S. and C. Asia ; Eunectes Wagl., the anaconda, 

 aquatic and arboreal in habit, S. Amer. ; Liasis Gr., Flores, Timor, 

 Papuasia, N. Australia : Lichanura Cope, California ; Loxocemus Cope, 

 Mexico ; Nardoa Gr., New Zealand ; Python Daud., trop. and S. Afr., 

 S.E. Asia, Papuasia, Australia ; P. spilotes Lacep., the carpet-snake, 

 N. Guinea, Australia ; P. reticulatus Schn., Indo-China, Malay Isl.. to 



FIG. 199. Typhlops 

 lumbricoides (R6gne 

 Animal). 



