Charinidae Gray 1849

Pyron, R. Alexander, Reynolds, R. Graham & Burbrink, Frank T., 2014, A Taxonomic Revision of Boas (Serpentes: Boidae), Zootaxa 3846 (2), pp. 249-260 : 254

Family Charinidae Gray 1849

Type genus. Charina Gray 1849

Genus content. Subfamily Charininae Gray 1849 ( Charina , Lichanura ), subfamily Ungaliophiinae McDowell 1987 ( Exiliboa , Ungaliophis )

Diagnosis. Charinids can be distinguished from all other similar or related taxa by the following combination of characters: in all species, a distinct lateral muscular bundle (M.) in the jaw known as the adductor mandibulae externus medialis pars anterior (M. aem1 of Zaher 1994), with loss of the left lung and presence of a tracheal lung in Exiliboa and Ungaliophis (Ungaliophiinae) , and in Charina and Lichanura (Charininae) , an M. aem1 comprised of elongated and undifferentiated fibers, as well as lack of a postorbital, anterior end of ectopterygoid narrow and pointed, crista circumfenestris small or absent between the fenestra pseudorotunda and foramen of the vagus cranial nerve, and coronoid absent on the prearticular portion of the compound bone (see Kluge 1993; Zaher 1994).

Phylogenetic definition. Includes the MRCA of included Charina and Lichanura (Charininae) and Exiliboa and Ungaliophis (Ungaliophiinae) and all descendants thereof, and all species more closely related to Cha. bottae than to Boa constrictor (stem of Charinidae ), all species more closely related to Cha. bottae than to U. continentalis (stem of Charininae), and all species more closely related to U. continentalis than to Cha. bottae (stem of Ungaliophiinae ).

Etymology. From the Greek charieis for ‘graceful’ or ‘delightful.’

Distribution. North and Central America, including southern Canada, the western United States and northwestern Mexico for Charininae, and southwestern Mexico, Central America, and extreme northwestern South America for Ungaliophiinae .

Remarks. This group has had a turbulent taxonomic history, as many morphological characters are poorly known and apparently exhibit strong convergence (see Kluge 1991; Zaher 1994; Wilcox et al. 2002). However, recent molecular results are unambiguous in supporting the monophyly of this group and uniting it with Booidea ( Wilcox et al. 2002; Noonan and Chippindale 2006; Wiens et al. 2008; Pyron et al. 2013; Reynolds et al. 2014).