Meeting Abstract
The genus Rhamphiophis, known as Beaked Snakes, are large, diurnal snakes with reinforced snouts adapted for digging. The genus Psammophylax is comprised of generalist, terrestrial snakes known as Skaapstekers. Both genera belong to the primarily African lamprophiid subfamily, Psammophiinae. The Striped Beaked snake (Rhamphiophis acutus) was originally considered a member of the genus Rhamphiophis. However, molecular evidence places R. acutus within the genus Psammophylax. If this phylogenetic placement is correct, the “beak” of R. acutus must have evolved independently of that seen in the “true” beaked snakes, genus Rhamphiophis. We undertook a detailed study of the cranial morphology of R. acutus in addition to representative species of both Psammophylax and Rhamphiophis for comparison. Our goal was to understand the overall structure of the nasal region of the skull in Psammophylax and in Rhamphiophis, to understand the cranial morphology underlying the “beak” of Beaked Snakes, and to look for any difference in the structure of the “beak” in R. acutus relative to that of other Rhamphiophis which might be attributable to convergence. We used micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning and digital imaging to identify defining cranial characters of both genera. We found that, despite its striking adaptations to fossorial life, R. acutus still retains key features that reveal its true origin; its evolutionary history can be told not only by its genes, but by its morphology as well.
