Palaeophis

Palaeophis ('ancient snake') is an extinct genus of marine snake that is the type genus of the extinct snake family Palaeophiidae.

Palaeophis
Temporal range: Cretaceous - Eocene,
Fossil vertebrae of Palaeophis maghrebianus from Khouribga (Morocco)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: †Palaeophiidae
Subfamily: †Palaeopheinae
Genus: †Palaeophis
Owen, 1841
Type species
†Palaeophis toliapicus
Owen, 1841
Species
Species
  • †Palaeophis africanus Andrews 1924
  • †Palaeophis casei Holman 1982
  • †Palaeophis colossaeus Rage 1983
  • †Palaeophis ferganicus Averianov 1997
  • †Palaeophis grandis Marsh 1869
  • †Palaeophis halidanus Cope 1868
  • †Palaeophis littoralis Cope 1847
  • †Palaeophis maghrebianus Arambourg 1952
  • †Palaeophis nessovi Averianov 1997
  • †Palaeophis tamdy Averianov 1997
  • †Palaeophis toliapicus Owen 1841(type)
  • †Palaeophis typhaeus Owen 1850
  • †Palaeophis vastaniensis Bajpai & Head 2008
  • †Palaeophis virginianus Lynn 1934

Species within this genus lived from the Cretaceous period to the Eocene epoch, approximately from 70.6 to 33.9 million years ago.[1] Fossils of species within this genus have been found in England, France, Denmark,[2] Morocco[3] and Mali.[4] Remains have also been found in North America, including Maryland and Virginia (from the early Eocene Nanjemoy Formation),[5] Georgia[6] and Mississippi.[7]

Description
Restoration of Palaeophis maghrebianus
Illustration of articulated vertebrae of P. toliapicus

These species varied broadly in size; Palaeophis casei is the smallest at 1.3 metres of length, while Palaeophis colossaeus, known from isolated vertebrae, is the largest at the estimated size limits for the genus at over 9 m (29.5 ft) in length,[4] making it one of the largest known snakes. However most species of the genus were not as big.[8][9]

Biology

Species of Palaeophis were specialised aquatic animals, as their fossils occur primarily in marine strata, though at least some estuarine remains have also been found.[7] Different species are thought to have occupied different ecological niches.

Studies on Palaeophis vertebrae show a high degree of vascularisation, suggesting that it had a considerably faster metabolism and growth rate than modern snakes. This may suggest that palaeophiids, like other marine reptiles such as mosasaurs, might have developed towards endothermy.[3]

References
  1. Fossilworks
  2. Kristensen, H. V.; Cuny, G.; Rasmussen, A. R.; Madsen, H (2012). "Earliest record of the fossil snake Palaeophis from the Paleocene/Eocene boundary in Denmark". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 183 (6): 621–625. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.183.6.621.
  3. Houssaye, Alexandra; Rage, Jean-Claude; Bardet, Nathalie; Vincent, Peggy; Amaghzaz, Mbarek; Meslouh, Said (2013). "New highlights about the enigmatic marine snake Palaeophis maghrebianus (Palaeophiidae; Palaeophiinae) from the Ypresian (Lower Eocene) phosphates of Morocco". Palaeontology. 56 (3): 647–661. doi:10.1111/pala.12008.
  4. Rage, J.-C. (1983). "Palaeophis colossaeus nov. sp. (le plus grand Seprent connu?) de l'Eocène du Mali et le problème du genre chez les Palaeopheinae". Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris. 3 (296): 1741–1744.
  5. Blake, S. F. "Note on a vertebra of Palaeophis from the Eocene of Maryland." Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 31.12 (1941): 501-503.
  6. Parmley, Dennis, and Harold W. Reed. "Size and age class estimates of North American Eocene palaeopheid snakes." Georgia Journal of Science 61.4 (2003): 220.
  7. Holman, J. Alan. "Palaeophis casei, new species, a tiny palaeophid snake from the early Eocene of Mississippi." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 2.2 (1982): 163-166.
  8. Holman, J. Alan (1982). "Palaeophis casei, new species, a tiny palaeophid snake from the early Eocene of Mississippi". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2 (2): 163–166. doi:10.1080/02724634.1982.10011927. JSTOR 4522892.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  9. Rage, Jean-Claude; et al. (2003). "Early Eocene snakes from Kutch, Western India, with a review of the Palaeophiidae". Geodiversitas. Editions scientifiques du Muséum, Paris, France. 25 (4): 695–716. ISSN 1280-9659. Retrieved 12 May 2010.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.