Skull osteology and osteological phylogeny of the Western whip snake Hierophis viridiflavus (Squamata, Colubridae)

Abstract

The skull osteology of Hierophis viridiflavus is here described and figured in detail on the basis of 18 specimens. The sample includes specimens from the ranges of both Hierophis viridiflavus viridiflavus and Hierophis viridiflavus carbonarius as well as specimens not identified at This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Insights into skull evolution in fossorial snakes, as revealed by the cranial morphology of Atractaspis irregularis (Serpentes: Colubroidea)

“…To accomplish this, we present herein the first thorough osteological description and illustration of any species within the Atractaspididae, based on fully segmented micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imagery of the skull of Atractaspis irregularis (Reinhardt, 1843) (Figures 1-9, Figures S1-S23). This study thus contributes to a recently growing body of anatomical research using micro-CT data to examine un-or under-described snake taxa (e.g., Rieppel and Maisano, 2007;Rieppel et al, 2009;Olori and Bell, 2012;Palci et al, 2016;Chretien et al, 2019;Strong et al, 2019;Racca et al, 2020). This research approach provides an essential foundation for constructing higher-order hypotheses of organismal evolution and phylogenetic relationships and is particularly important for understanding complicated but evolutionarily significant structures such as the skull.…”

“…The dentary of Atractaspis is quite unique compared to other, non- Scanferla, 2016;Strong et al, 2019;Racca et al, 2020).…”

Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations

“…Another feature of the maxilla of Hypoptophis that warrants discussion is the apposition of the palatine process and the ectopterygoid process. In most colubroids having both processes, the medially expanded ectopterygoid process is located farther back, separated from the palatine process (another medial expansion) by a narrower stretch of maxillary shaft (e.g., the maxilla of the colubrid Hierophis described by Racca et al, 2020 ). In Aparallactines, barring the centipede eating Aparallactus spp., the ectopterygoid process is separated from the palatine process merely by a notch (Figure S3 ).…”

Impact of invading species on biodiversity: Diet study of the green whip snake’s (Hierophis viridiflavus, L. 1789) in Switzerland

“…carbonarius, the melanic morphotype, occurs throughout Italy (except the northwestern part and including Sicily), in Slovenia and Croatia. This morphotype is thought to have emerged after a vicariant speciation event (Racca et al, 2020), hypothetically caused by a combination of glacial, tectonic and eustatic factors during the Pleistocene (Mezzasalma et al, 2015). Although both morphotypes have been commonly treated in the literature as subspecies, Mezzasalma et al (2015) proposed to elevate H. v. subsp.…”

“…Nevertheless, a study conducted by Gramolini et al (2018) found that gene flow occurred within an area where the two taxa came into contact, refuting the recent assignment of Hierophis carbonarius. Since then, the two morphotypes are still considered subspecies (Racca et al, 2020;Gramolini et al, 2018).…”