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Posted by paalexan on March 06, 2003 at 19:59:41:
In Reply to: Interesting posted by Conrad on March 04, 2003 at 20:59:35:
: So far I've been working with him at the shop and I've gotten to get him to take blue anoles.
That's encouraging.
: I'm just wondering how closely related he is to either Drymobius or Leptophis, and if they have any sort of rear-fanged tendancies.
My guess is that they're closely related to Leptophis, but that Drymobius is more distant... but I don't really know. If I have time tomorrow I might track down a couple of articles that discuss the phylogeny of Colubrinae...
So far as rear-fangedness, see the following abstract from `Mode of action of Duvernoy's gland extracts from the colubrid Dryadophis bifossatus in the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation.' Toxicon-. 1996; 34 (10) 1187-1190:
`Extracts and secretion of the Duvernoy's gland are venomous, inducing in several cases motor paralysis in experimental animals. The extracts of the Duvernoy's gland from the aglyphous colubrid Dryadophis bifossatus are very toxic, eliciting flaccid paralysis in pigeons, rabbits and Hylae (Brazil and Vellard, 1926). In the present study, the neuromuscular action of the extracts of Duvernoy's gland from this Colubridae was investigated in the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation. The muscle was indirectly stimulated with supramaximal pulses, and by addition of acetylcholine or carbachol to the organ bath. Direct muscle stimulation was carried out in curarized preparations. The extracts induced an irreversible neuromuscular blockade and also inhibited irreversibly the contracture of the biventer cervicis produced by either acetylcholine or carbachol. The twitches elicited by direct muscle stimulation were not depressed. These results show that the neurotoxin(s) of the extracts interact with the end-plate cholinergic receptors.'
The short answer seems to be that it's probably not something to let chew on you...
: Guess I might just have to do my own research, such as I've had to do with my Leptophis ahaetulla.
You've got Leptophis? Another genus that falls into my `would love to keep if I thought I could' file... how's your luck been?
: Also...when are we getting a forum for these other colubrids that don't fit into any of the existing categories...my "odd-ball colubrid" forum theory. lol
I thought that's what the rear-fanged forum was... in fact, if not in naming...
Patrick Alexander
