The Causinae, are a subfamily of venomous vipers commonly known as night adders. Relatively small in size (45-80 cm) and terrestrial in nature, these snakes are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. This group consists of six species in a single genus called Causus. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Classes and Clades Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordates, specifically, those with backbones or spinal columns. ... Orders See text. ... Suborders Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Sauria- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Squamata (scaled reptiles) is the largest recent order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes (from Old English snaca, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European base snag- or sneg-, to crawl), also known as ophidians, are cold blooded... Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that Snake poison be merged into this article or section. ... Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

General description

For a number of reasons, the night adders are considered among the most primitive members of the Viperidae. They have slender builds and relatively long tapering tails, which is unusual in vipers. Their heads are covered with large shields, like the Colubrids and Elapids, instead of with many small scales like most other vipers. The scales are only slightly keeled. The pupils are round, instead of elliptical. Because of these features, the only way to tell that night adders are viperids is that they have rotating fangs. Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ... Genera According to ITIS: Adelophis Adelphicos Alsophis Amastridium Arizona Arrhyton Atractus Bogertophis Boiga Carphophis Cemophora Cerberus Chersodromus Chilomeniscus Chionactis Clelia Clonophis Coluber Coniophanes Conophis Conopsis Contia Cryophis Dendrelaphis Dendrophidion Diadophis Dipsas Dryadophis Drymarchon Drymobius Elaphe Enulius Eridiphas Erythrolamprus Farancia Ficimia Geagras Geophis Gyalopion Heterodon Hypsiglena Imantodes Lampropeltis Leptodeira Leptophis Liochlorophis... The Elapidae, or elapids, are a family of highly venomous snakes found tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. ... In most biological nomenclature, a scale (Greek lepid, Latin squama) is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animals skin to provide protection. ... The human eye The pupil is the central transparent area (showing as black). ... Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ...

Internally, there are also differences, most notably concerning the venom glands. With most vipers, these are found towards the rear of the upper jaws, but with the night adders, they are located in the neck, on either side of the spine, extending for a up to 10 cm in length. Long ducts connect the venom glands to the fangs, that do rotate like those of other vipers, but are relatively small. Finally, unlike most vipers, night adders are oviparous and lay about a dozen eggs. An average Whooping Crane egg is 102 mm long, and weighs 208 grams In some animals, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ...

In spite of their enormously developed venom glands, night adders don't always use them to subdue their prey, which consists mostly of toads and frogs. The venom would act fast enough, but often they simply seize and swallow their prey instead. Night adder venom is not very potent and symptoms include mainly pain and swelling. There are no recorded deaths caused by this snake. The true toads are amphibians in the Bufonidae family. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frog is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail). ...

Night adders are, as their name suggests, primarily nocturnal, although they can sometimes be seen sunning themselves during the day. C. resimus is an exception to this rule and is more active during the day. All night adders have relatively poor eyesight and hunt mainly by sense of smell. A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ...

Taxonomy

Many herpetologists argue that the phylogenetic position of Causus has not been sufficiently resolved and regard it as a genus of the subfamily Viperinae instead. There has been a long-standing tendency to assume that the night adder group is either basal to all other viperines, or even to all viperids. In the latter case, it would deserve a separate subfamily. However, there have also been some studies that suggest that, despite its very different appearance, Causus may even be rooted within the Viperinae, in which case it should not be in a separate subfamily. More evidence will be needed before this dispute is finally put to rest. Herpetology (Greek herpeton = to creep, to ramp and logos = in this context explanation or reason) is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of reptiles and amphibians. ... Genera Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris Pseudocerastes Vipera This page is about Viper snakes. ... Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ...

Species

George Boulenger. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Equatorial Africa is a term currently being used in place of Sub-Saharan Africa in anthropological and racial discussions. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ... Edward Hallowell (1808 - 1860) was an American physician and herpetologist. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters (April 22, 1815 - April 20, 1883) was a German naturalist and explorer. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Martin Lichtenstein Martin Heinrich Carl Lichtenstein (January 10, 1780 - September 2, 1857) was a German physician, explorer and zoologist. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Closely related groups

Besides the Causinae, there are three other viperid subfamilies: Subfamilies Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) The Viperidae family is made up of two subfamilies: Crotalinae (Pit Vipers) Viperinae (Vipers) Categories: Stub | Snakes ...

• The Azemiopinae, represented by a single species, the Fae's viper (Azemiops feae).
• The Viperinae, or true/pitless vipers.
• The Crotalinae, or the pit vipers.

Binomial name Azemiops feae Boulenger, 1888 Synonyms Azemiops - Boulenger, 1888[1] Azemiops feae - Boulenger, 1888 Azemiops feae - Boulenger, 1896[1] Azemiopinae is a monotypic subfamily created for the monotypic genus, Azemiops, containing the venomous viper species , described here. ... Genera Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris Pseudocerastes Vipera This page is about Viper snakes. ... Genera Many, see text *May be treated as a separate family, Crotalidae Pit Vipers (sometimes called crotalines) are mostly New World vipers found in North, Central and South America; a few species are recorded from isolated areas of Southeast Asia, the Caspian region of Europe, China and Japan. ...

References

• McDiarmid, Roy W., Jonathan A. Campbell, and T'Shaka A. Touré. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. The Herpetologists' League, Washington, D.C. xi + 511

External links

• EMBL Reptile Database - Family Viperidae
• Genus causus at the EMBL Reptile Database