Natricinae

Natricinae
	Dice snake, Natrix tessellata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Natricinae; Bonaparte, 1838
Genera
	36, see text

The Natricinae are a subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Natricidae).^[1] The subfamily comprises 36 genera. Members include many very common snake species, such as the European grass snakes, and the North American water snakes and garter snakes. Some Old World members of the subfamily are known as keelbacks, because their dorsal scales exhibit strong keeling.

Natricine snakes are found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Central America as far south as Costa Rica. A single species, Tropidonophis mairii, reaches Australia. Although the highest diversity is in North America, the oldest members are in Asia and Africa, suggesting an Old World origin for the group. Most species are semiaquatic and feed on fish and amphibians, although a few are semifossorial or leaf-litter snakes that feed on invertebrates. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few (e.g., Thamnophis sirtalis, Thamnophis elegans) are capable of inflicting bites that can result in local, non-life-threatening symptoms, and at least two members of the genus Rhabdophis (R. tigrinus and R. subminiatus) are capable of inflicting life-threatening bites to humans, though they have only enlarged, ungrooved fangs in the back of the mouth.^[2]

Classification

They are recognised as a sister group of the Dipsadinae plus the Pseudoxenodontinae.^[3]

Genera

Afronatrix Rossman & Eberle, 1977
Amphiesma A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
Amphiesmoides Malnate, 1961
Anoplohydrus F. Werner, 1909
Aspidura Wagler, 1830
Atretium Cope, 1861
Blythia Theobald, 1868 ^[4]
Clonophis Cope, 1889
Fowlea Theobald, 1868
Haldea Baird & Girard, 1853
Hebius Thompson, 1913
Helophis de Witte & Laurent, 1942
Herpetoreas Günther, 1860
Hydrablabes Boulenger, 1891
Hydraethiops Günther, 1872
Iguanognathus Boulenger, 1898
Isanophis David, Pauwels, Nguyen & G. Vogel, 2015
Limnophis Günther, 1865
Liodytes Cope, 1885
Lycognathophis Boulenger, 1893
Natriciteres Loveridge, 1953
Natrix Laurenti, 1768
Nerodia Baird & Girard, 1853
Opisthotropis Günther, 1872
Paratapinophis Angel, 1929
Pseudagkistrodon Van Denburgh, 1909
Regina Baird & Girard, 1853
Rhabdophis Fitzinger, 1843
Rhabdops Boulenger, 1893
Sahyadriophis Patel, Thackeray, Campbell & Mirza, 2023
Smithophis Giri, Gower, Das, Lalremsanga, Lalronunga, Captain & Deepak, 2019
Storeria Baird & Girard, 1853
Thamnophis Fitzinger, 1843
Trachischium Günther, 1858
Trimerodytes Cope, 1895
Tropidoclonion Cope, 1860
Tropidonophis Jan, 1863
Virginia Baird & Girard, 1853
Xenochrophis Günther, 1864

References

^ Dowling, Herndon G.; Jenner, Janann V. (1988). Snakes of Burma: Checklist of reported species and bibliography. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service #76. Washington, D.C.: Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. OCLC 23345387.
^ Weinstein, Scott A.; Warrell, David A.; White, Julian; Keyler, Daniel E. (2011). Venomous Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes: A Critical Analysis of Risk and Management of "Colubrid" Snake Bites. London: Elsevier. 364 pp. ISBN 978-0123877321.
^ Pyron, R. Alexander; et al. (2011). "The phylogeny of advanced snakes (Colubroidea), with discovery of a new subfamily and comparison of support methods for likelihood trees" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 58 (2): 329–342. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.006. PMID 21074626. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2013.
^ "Blythia reticulata | The Reptile Database".