| Elapoidea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Indian cobra (Naja naja) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Clade: | Colubroides |
| Superfamily: | Elapoidea Boie, 1827 |
| Families and genera | |
The Elapoidea are a superfamily of snakes in the clade Colubroides, traditionally comprising the families Lamprophiidae and Elapidae. Advanced genomic sequence studies, however, have found lamprophiids to be paraphyletic in respect to elapids, and anywhere between four and nine families are now recognized.[5][6][7]
In describing the subfamily Cyclocorinae, Weinell et al. (2017) suggested some or all subfamilies of Lamprophiidae should be reevaluated at full family status as a way to prevent the alternative, which is classifying them as elapids.[6] This was followed in later studies such as Zaher et al. (2019).[8] Alternatively, Das et al. (2023) classified Cyclocoridae, Elapidae, Micrelapidae, and Lamprophiidae as distinct families, with all other families being subfamilies of Lamprophiidae; however, the Reptile Database still retains these as distinct families.[9][7]
Molecular studies suggest a rapid radiation of this superfamily within the Eocene, with all families diverging from one another by the end of the epoch. Although studies have found conflicting results, Cyclocoridae is generally considered the most basal member of the superfamily.[7]
Below is the phylogeny of Elapoidea after Weinell et al. (2017), with the interrelations of Elapid after Lee et al. (2016)[4] and Figueroa et al. (2016):[5]
| Elapoidea | |
An alternative phylogeny was found by Das et al. (2023) and Das et al. (2024), subsuming many families into subfamilies of Lamprophiidae:[7][10]
| Elapoidea | |
Families and subfamilies:[8][11]
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