The morphology of many organisms seems to be related to the environment they live in. Nonetheless, many snakes are so similar in their morphological patterns that it becomes quite difficult to distinguish any adaptive divergence that may exist. Many authors suggest that the microornamentations on the scales of reptiles have important functional value. Here, we examined variations on the micromorphology of the exposed oberhautchen surface of dorsal, lateral, and ventral scales from the mid-body region of Xenodontinae snakes: Sibynomorphus mikani (terricolous), Imantodes cenchoa (arboreal), Helicops modestus (aquatic) and Atractus pantostictus (fossorial). They were metallized and analyzed through scanning electron microscopy. All species displayed similar microstructures, such as small pits and spinules, which are often directed to the scale caudal region. On the other hand, there were some singular differences in scale shape and in the microstructural pattern of each species. S. mikani and I. cenchoa have larger spinules arranged in a row which overlap the following layers on the scale surface. Species with large serrate borders are expected to have more frictional resistance from the caudal-cranial direction. This can favor life in environments which require more friction, facilitating locomotion. In H. modestus, the spinules are smaller and farther away from the posterior rows, which should help reduce water resistance during swimming. The shallower small pits found in this species can retain impermeable substances, as in aquatic Colubridae snakes. The spinules adhering to the caudal scales of A. pantostictus seem to form a more regular surface, which probably aid their fossorial locomotion, reducing scale-ground friction. Our data appear to support the importance of functional microstructure, contributing to the idea of snake species adaptation to their preferential microhabitats.Keywords: scales, microstructure, snakes, Xenodontinae, SEM. provavelmente auxilia na locomoção fossorial, reduzindo o atrito com o solo. Nossos dados parecem corroborar a importância da microestrutura funcional, contribuindo para a hipótese de adaptação das espécies de serpentes aos seus microhabitats preferenciais. Análise da microestrutura de escamas de serpentes Xenodontinae em associação à ocupação de diferentes microhabitatsPalavras-chave: escamas, microestrutura, serpentes, Xenodontinae, MEV.sisted of museum specimens from the Alphonse Richard Hoge collection at the Instituto Butantan (IB).In an attempt to avoid errors derived from phylogenetic factors, the species chosen all belong to the same subfamily (Xenodontinae).Dorsal, lateral and ventral scales were taken from the mid-region of the body of five adult individuals (males, 2 scales, and females, 3 scales) of each species. The scales were placed in numbered tubes and duly identified for each species. Distilled water and neutral soap were added to the tubes. Each tube was manually shaken for about 1 minute to remove any probable impurities. Scales were then removed...