Genus: Mehelya (file snakes)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Lepidosauromorpha > Lepidosauria > Squamata > Serpentes (snakes) > Family: Colubridae > Subfamily: Boodontinae

Twenty species of which three are native to southern Africa.

Species native to southern Africa

Mehelya capensis (Southern file snake, Cape file snake) Feeds primarily on other snakes and may have partial immunity to some snake venoms.
Mehelya nyassae (Black or Nyasa file snake) Excretes a foul smelling liquid when threatened.
Mehelya vernayi (Angola file snake, Vernay's file snake) Similar to Southern file snake but doesn't have the vertebral line.