Coniophis

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Coniophis Temporal range: Turonian-Priabonian ~94–34 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Holotype vertebra of C. precedens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Infraorder:	Alethinophidia
Genus:	†Coniophis Marsh, 1892
Species
Coniophis carinatus Hecht, 1959 Coniophis cosgriffi Armstrong-Ziegler, 1978 Coniophis dabiebus Rage & Werner, 1999 Coniophis platycarinatus Hecht, 1959 Coniophis precedens Marsh, 1892

Coniophis is an extinct genus of snakes with fossils reported from the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, spanning the K-Pg boundary. The type species is Coniophis precedes, described in 1892 by Othniel Charles Marsh based on a vertebra from the Laramie Formation of Wyoming, United States. A number of other species of the genus Coniophis, have been described. Their affiliation is, however, poorly secured, mostly based on vertebral descriptions from only a few fossils.

Fossil distribution

The genus Coniophis has been regarded as a wastebasket taxon, and the monophyly of its species has been questioned. Regardless, fossils of Coniophis have been described from the following localities:

Cretaceous

• Milk River and Frenchman Formations, Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan)
• Intertrappean Beds, India
• Wadi Milk Formation, Sudan
• United States
  • Hell Creek Formation, Montana
  • Fruitland Formation, New Mexico
  • Naturita, Cedar Mountain, Straight Cliffs, Kaiparowits and Wahweap Formations, Utah
  • Lance Formation, Wyoming

Paleocene

• Santa Lucía Formation (Tiupampan), Bolivia
• Jbel Guersif Formation, Morocco
• Fort Union Formation, Montana, United States

Eocene

• Itaboraí Formation, Brazil
• France
• Aït Ouarhitane Formation, Morocco
• United States
  • Chadron Formation, North Dakota
  • Bridger, Wagon Bed and Wasatch Formations, Wyoming

References

Further reading

• Adriana María Albino: Las serpientes de São José de Itaboraí (Edad Itaboraiense, Paleoceno medio), Brazil. In: Ameghiniana 27, 1991. S. 337–342.
• Sebastián Apesteguía, Hussam Zaher: A Cretaceous Terrestrial Snake with Robust Hindlimbs and a Sacrum. In: Nature 440, 2006. doi:10.1038/nature04413, S. 1037–1040.
• Judy Gail Armstrong-Ziegler: An Aniliid Snake and Associated Vertebrates from the Campanian of New Mexico. In: Journal of Paleontology 52 (2), 1978. S. 480–483.
• Marc Augé, Jean-Claude Rage: Herpetofaunas from the Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene of Morocco. In: Annales de Paléontologie 92, 2006. doi:10.1016/j.annpal.2005.09.001, S. 235–253.
• Richard Estes: Middle Paleocene lower vertebrates from the Tongue River Formation, Southeastern Montana.In: Journal of Paleontology 50, 1976. S. 500–520.
• Richard C. Fox: Fossil Snakes from the Upper Milk River Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Alberta. In: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 12, 1975. S. 1557–1563.
• James D. Gardner, Richard L. Cifelli: A Primitive Snake from the Cretaceous of Utah. In: David M. Unwin: Cretaceous Fossil Vertebrates. Special Papers in Palaeontology 60, 1999. S. 87–100.
• Robert Hoffstetter: Squamates de Type Moderne. In: Jean Piveteau: Traité de Paléontologie. Tome V. Masson, Paris 1955. S. 606–662
• J. Alan Holman: Fossil Snakes of North America. origin, Evolution, Distribution, Paleoecology. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 2000. ISBN 0-253-33721-6.
• Nicholas R. Longrich, Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar, Jacques A. Gauthier: A Transitional Snake from the Late Cretaceous Period of North America. In: Nature, 2012. doi:10.1038/nature11227, S. 1–4.
• Nicholas R. Longrich, Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar, Jacques A. Gauthier: Supplementary Material. In: Nature, 2012. doi:10.1038/nature11227, S. 1–10.
• Othniel Charles Marsh: Notice of New Reptiles from the Laramie Formation. In: American Journal of Science, Series 3 43, 1892. S. 449–453.
• Paul Orman McGrew, Max K. Hecht, John M. Hummel, George Gaylord Simpson, Albert Elmer Wood: The Geology and Paleontology of the Elk Mountain and Tabernacle Butte Area, Wyoming. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 117, 1959. S. 117–176. (Volltext)
• Jean-Claude Rage: Le Gisement du Bretou (Phosphorites du Quercy, Tarn‐et‐Garonne, France) et Sa Faune de Vertebres de l'Eocene Superieur. In: Palaeontographica Abteilung A 25, 1988. S. 3–27.
• Jean-Claude Rage, C. Werner: Mid‐Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Snakes from Wadi Abu Hashim, Sudan: The Earliest Snake Assemblage. In: Palaeontologia Africana 35, 1999. S. 85–110.
• Jean-Claude Rage, Guntupalli V.R. Prasad, Sunil Bajpai: Additional Snakes from the Uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of India. In: Cretaceous Research 25, 2004. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2004.02.003, S. 425–434.
• Jean-Claude Rage, Marc Augé: Squamate Reptiles from the Middle Eocene of Lissieu (France). A Landmark in the Middle Eocene of Europe. In: Geobios 42, 2010. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2009.08.002, 253–268.