ophicleidist (ofiklidist)

[ -ist.] A performer on the ophicleide. Ophideres (o-fid'e-rez), n . [NL. (Boisduval, Ophidium oranges by piercing them with its haustellum and suck. ing the juice. Ophideridæ (of-i-der'i-dē), n. pl. [NL. (Guenée, 1852), quad rato jugal arch nor par i IMG:content-1745.png:[graphic] etal foramen; the lower jaw is articulated with a movable BS quadrate bone, and its rami are connected only by fibrous ti ue. The bones of both jaws are generally freely movable, so that the mouth is enormously distensible. The tongue is slender, forked, and protrusile, subserving a tactile office. Teeth are present in one or both jaws, usually in sharp, and in venomous Ophi both; they are numerous and dia some of the upper ones, usually a single pair, are en larged, hooked, grooved, or ap IMG:content-1746.jpg:[ocr errors] IMG:content-1747.jpg:[ocr errors] IMG:content-1748.jpg:[ocr errors] Qu Base of Ordinary Ophidian Skull (python). BO, bas i occipital; BS, bas i sphenoid; Mx, maxillary; tine; Pt, pterygoid; Qu, quad Pmx, premaxillary; Pl, pal a rate; Sq, squamosal; Tr, transverse bone; Vo, vomer. (The teeth are aglyphodont.) parently perforate, and thus converted into poison-fangs. The eyes have no movable lids, the cuticle extending directly over the eyeball. The cuticle is scaly, forming many very regularly arranged rows of scales on the upper parts, and usually larger modified scutes on the under side, called gastrosteges and urosteges, serving to some extent for locomotion. There is a pair of extra cloacal penes in the male; the female is oviparous or ovoviviparous. Ophidia are variously subdivided-by Duméril and Bibron into Oро terodonta, Agly pho dont a, Proteroglypha, and Sole no glyph a, an arrangement substantially now current, some modifications. Cope's latest arrangement is Epaпо dont a, Catodonta, Tort ricin a, which are opoterodont, Asi nea, which are aglyphodont, Proteroglypha, and Solenogly pha. There are 20 families and about 300 genera, of which more than 200 belong to the family Colubridæ alone. See also cut under Python. ophidian (0