| complete mitochondrial dna sequences of six snakes: phylogenetic relationships and molecular evolution of genomic features. | complete mitochondrial dna (mtdna) sequences were determined for representative species from six snake families: the acrochordid little file snake, the bold boa constrictor, the cylindrophiid red pipe snake, the viperid himehabu, the pythonid ball python, and the xenopeltid sunbeam snake. thirteen protein-coding genes, 22 trna genes, 2 rrna genes, and 2 control regions were identified in these mtdnas. duplication of the control region and translocation of the trnaleu gene were two notable featur ... | 2005 | 16007493 |
| the cochlear nuclei of snakes. | the cochlear nuclei of three burrowing snakes (xenopeltis unicolor, cylindrophis rufus, and eryx johni) and three non-burrowing snakes (epicrates cenchris, natrix sipedon, and pituophis catenifer) were studied. the posterior branch of the statoacoustic nerve and its posterior ganglion were destroyed and the degenerated nerve fibers and terminals traced to primary cochlear nuclei in 13 specimens of pituophis catenifer. all these snake species possess three primary and one secondary cochlear nucle ... | 1980 | 7419751 |
| shedding light on serpent sight: the visual pigments of henophidian snakes. | the biologist gordon walls proposed his "transmutation" theory through the 1930s and the 1940s to explain cone-like morphology of rods (and vice versa) in the duplex retinas of modern-day reptiles, with snakes regarded as the epitome of his hypothesis. despite walls' interest, the visual system of reptiles, and in particular snakes, has been widely neglected in favor of studies of fishes and mammals. by analyzing the visual pigments of two henophidian snakes, xenopeltis unicolor and python regiu ... | 2009 | 19515920 |
| macrobothriotaenia ficta (cestoda: proteocephalidea), a parasite of sunbeam snake (xenopeltis unicolor): example of convergent evolution. | the poorly known proteocephalidean cestode macrobothriotaenia ficta (meggitt, 1931) from the sunbeam snake xenopeltis unicolor (ophidia: xenopeltidae) is redescribed on the basis of re-examination of its type specimens from burma (myanmar), and vouchers from thailand and vietnam. the peculiar morphology of the scolex, which is formed by four pedunculate lobe-bearing pincer-shaped suckers, is described for the first time using scanning electron microscopy. in scolex morphology, m. ficta closely r ... | 2013 | 26000432 |
| adaptations and significance of the cranial feeding apparatus of the sunbeam snake (xenopeltis unicolor): part i. anatomy of the skull. | the skull of the sunbeam snake xenopeltis unicolor is described and illustrated. in most aspects the skull features are relatable to primitive alethinophidian snakes (henophidian vs. caenophidian snakes of some systems). there are skull characters in common with those of anilioids and others that are shared among primitive snakes generally and lizards. some of the important characteristics are: the premaxilla bears teeth and the snout complex is articulated with the dorsal parts of the frontals; ... | 1999 | 29847873 |