Alsophiini Fitzinger, 1843

Grazziotin, Hussam Zaher 1 Felipe Gobbi, Cadle, John E., Murphy, Robert W., Moura-Leite, Julio Cesar de & Bonatto, Sandro L., 2009, Molecular phylogeny of advanced snakes (Serpentes, Caenophidia) with an emphasis on South American Xenodontines: a revised classification and descriptions of new taxa, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 49 (11), pp. 115-153 : 147

Tribe Alsophiini Fitzinger, 1843

(Clade 60)

Alsophes Fitzinger, 1843: 25.

Type-genus: Alsophis Fitzinger 1843 .

Diagnosis: (89%, 4). Papilla present medially (in the crotch) at the base of the hemipenial lobes (lost in some alsophiines, e.g., Ialtris , Uromacer , and Alsophis as redefined herein) (Zaher, 1999).

Content: Alsophis Fitzinger, 1843 ; Antillophis Maglio, 1970 ; Arrhyton Günther, 1858 ; Caraiba new genus; Darlingtonia Cochran, 1935 ; Hypsirhynchus Günther, 1858 ; Ialtris Cope, 1862 ; Magliophis new genus; Ocyophis Cope, 1886 resurrected; Schwartzophis new genus; Uromacer Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 .

Comments: See Comments under Saphenophiini . Our study, as well as earlier molecular studies (e.g., Cadle, 1984a, 1985; Vidal et al., 2000; Pinou et al., 2004), retrieves a monophyletic Alsophiini including all endemic West Indian genera of Xenodontinae (our study used many of the same sequences as the study by Vidal et al., 2000, but our other reference taxa were very dissimilar). The molecular evidence, along with the unusual morphological synapomorphy of this group (Zaher, 1999), strongly supports the monophyly of this clade relative to mainland xenodontines (for a contrary view, see Crother, 1999a,b). We also exclude from Alsophiini the mainland South American species “ Alsophis” elegans and the snakes of the Galapagos Islands (contra Maglio, 1970; Thomas, 1997) (see Saphenophiini ).

Within Alsophiini , the hierarchy of relationships we find are strongly supported by morphological evidence presented by Zaher (1999). Examples are, Clade 63 (Cuban Arrhyton ), Clade 68 (Jamaican Arrhyton ), Clade 65 (the primarily Lesser Antillean Alsophis ), and, within Clade 66, a polyphyletic Antillophis and a clade of primarily Greater Antillean Alsophis . We therefore name the following new, redefined, and resurrected genera to reflect these relationships: