The Colubrinae are a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae. It includes numerous genera, and although taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number, the Reptile Database lists 717 species in 92 genera as of September 2019. It is the second largest subfamily of colubrids, after Dipsadinae. Many of the most commonly known snakes are members of this subfamily, including rat snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, vine snakes, and indigo snakes.
Distribution Colubrine snakes are distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity in North America, Asia, northern Africa, and the Middle East. There are relatively few species of colubrine snakes in Europe, South America, Australia, and southern Africa, and none in Madagascar, the Caribbean, or the Pacific Islands.
Description Colubrine snakes are extremely morphologically and ecologically diverse. Many are terrestrial, and there are specialized fossorial (e.g. Tantilla) and arboreal (e.g. Oxybelis) groups, but no truly aquatic groups. Some of the most powerful constrictors (e.g. Pantherophis, Pituophis, Lampropeltis) are members of this group, as are a few snakes that have strong enough venom to kill humans (i.e. boomslangs [Dispholidus] and twigsnakes [Thelotornis]).
Classification Colubrinae is one of several subfamilies within the family Colubridae, the largest family of snakes. Its phylogeny can be shown in the cladogram below:
Within Colubrinae, genera and species seem to make up five distinct radiations that are to varying degrees broadly similar in terms of ecology and geographic distribution, although increased sampling is needed to determine whether all species currently placed in Colubrinae fit into one of these groups. These correspond roughly to the historically recognized tribe names Sonorini, Colubrini, Boigini/Lycodontini, Dispholidini, and Lampropeltini.
Coluber is the type genus of both Colubrinae and Colubridae and the basis for the name Colubroidea, and it is one of only three snake genera named by Carl Linnaeus still in use for a snake today.
List of genera
Aeluroglena Boulenger, 1898 Aprosdoketophis Wallach, Lanza & Nistri, 2010 Archelaphe Schulz, Böhme & Tillack, 2011 Argyrogena Werner, 1924 Arizona Kennicott, 1859 Bamanophis Schätti & Trape, 2008 Bogertophis Dowling & Price, 1988 Boiga Fitzinger, 1826 Cemophora Cope, 1860 Chapinophis Campbell & Smith, 1998 Chironius Fitzinger, 1826 Coelognathus Fitzinger, 1843 Coluber Linnaeus, 1758 Colubroelaps Orlov, Kharin, Ananjeva, Thien Tao & Quang Truong, 2009 Conopsis Günther, 1858 Coronella Laurenti, 1768 Crotaphopeltis Fitzinger, 1843 Dasypeltis Wagler, 1830 Dendrophidion Fitzinger, 1843 Dipsadoboa Günther, 1858 Dispholidus Duvernoy, 1832 Dolichophis Gistel, 1868 Drymarchon Fitzinger, 1843 Drymobius Fitzinger, 1843 Drymoluber Amaral, 1929 Eirenis Jan, 1862 Elachistodon Reinhardt, 1863—subsumed by Boiga Elaphe Fitzinger in Wagler, 1833 Euprepiophis Fitzinger, 1843 Ficimia Gray, 1849 Geagras Cope, 1876 Gonyosoma Wagler, 1828 Gyalopion Cope, 1860 Hapsidophrys Fischer, 1856 Hemerophis Schätti & Utiger, 2001 Hemorrhois Boie, 1826 Hierophis Fitzinger, 1843 Lampropeltis Fitzinger, 1843 Leptodrymus Amaral, 1927 Leptophis Bell, 1825 Liopeltis Fitzinger, 1843 Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 Lytorhynchus Peters, 1862 Macroprotodon Guichenot, 1850 Masticophis Baird & Girard, 1853 Mastigodryas Amaral, 1935 Meizodon Fischer, 1856 Mopanveldophis Figueroa et al., 2016 Muhtarophis Avcı, Ilgaz, Rajabizadeh, Yılmaz, Üzüm, Adriaens, Kumlutaş & Olgun, 2015 Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 Oocatochus Helfenberger, 2001 Opheodrys Fitzinger, 1843 Oreocryptophis Utiger, Schätti & Helfenberger, 2005 Orientocoluber Kharin, 2011 Oxybelis Wagler, 1830 Palusophis Pantherophis Fitzinger, 1843 Persiophis Rajabizadeh, Pyron, Nazarov, Poyarkov, Adriaens, & Herrel, 2020 Philothamnus Smith, 1840 Phrynonax Cope, 1862 Phyllorhynchus Stejneger, 1890 Pituophis Holbrook, 1842 Platyceps Blyth, 1860 Pseudelaphe Mertens & Rosenberg, 1943 Pseudoficimia Bocourt, 1883 Ptyas Fitzinger, 1843 Rhamnophis Günther, 1862 Rhinobothryum Wagler, 1830 Rhinocheilus Baird & Girard, 1853 Rhynchocalamus Günther, 1864 Salvadora Baird & Girard, 1853 Scaphiophis Peters, 1870 Scolecophis Fitzinger, 1843 Senticolis Campbell & Howell, 1965 Simophis Peters, 1860 Sonora Baird & Girard, 1843 Spalerosophis Jan, 1865 Spilotes Wagler, 1830 Stegonotus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 Stenorrhina Duméril, 1853 Stichophanes Wang, Messenger, Zhao & Zhu, 2014 Symphimus Cope, 1869 Sympholis Cope, 1861 Tantilla Baird & Girard, 1853 Tantillita Smith, 1941 Telescopus Wagler, 1830 Thelotornis Smith, 1849 Thrasops Hallowell, 1857 Toxicodryas Hallowell, 1857 Trimorphodon Cope, 1861 Wallaceophis Mirza, Vyas, Patel & Sanap, 2016 Wallophis Werner, 1929 Xenelaphis Günther, 1864 Xyelodontophis Broadley & Wallach, 2002 Yakacoatl Cisneros-Bernal et al., 2025 Zamenis Wagler, 1830
A group of 4 genera historically placed in Colubrinae have recently been called a separate subfamily, Ahaetuliinae, in a few analyses. These are Ahaetulla Link, 1807, Chrysopelea Boie, 1827, Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890, and Dryophiops Boulenger, 1896.
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