Alethinophidia in the context of Superfamily (zoology)

Palaeophiidae is an extinct family of marine snake within the infraorder Alethinophidia.

Species within this family lived from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Eocene, approximately from 70.6 to 33.9 million years ago. Phylogenetic analysis has proposed them as being related to the extant file snakes (family Acrochordidae), although these results have been disputed since, and new analysis show this relationship as poorly supported. Fossil records provide evidence suggesting Paleophiidae are among the largest snakes to ever exist.

Pelvic spurs (also known as vestigial legs) are external protrusions found around the cloaca in certain superfamilies of snakes belonging to the greater infraorder Alethinophidia. These spurs are made up of the remnants of the femur bone, which is then covered by a corneal spur, or claw-like structure. This femur derives from ancestral hind limbs found in the most recent common ancestor of modern snakes and the other reptiles of the clade Toxicofera, many of which have fully functional front and hind limbs. Due to the fact that the spurs derive from the ancestral state of functional legs, but are no longer functional for locomotion specifically, these structures meet the criteria for being considered vestigial. Nonetheless, uses for the structures have been thoroughly documented. Species that have external spurs have corresponding muscles, neurological structures, and vascularization to allow for independent movement. The spurs are more pronounced and visible in male specimens and have been observed in use during courtship behavior. The spurs are specifically used in the clasping and stimulation of females by males during courtship and mating. In certain species, males will also use their spurs to engage in combat with one another.