Tropidophis
Tropidophis, common name wood snakes or West Indian wood snakes,[2] is a genus of dwarf boas[3] endemic to the West Indies and South America. Currently, 17 species are recognized.[3]
| Tropidophis | |
|---|---|
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| Tropidophis melanurus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Tropidophiidae |
| Genus: | Tropidophis Bibron In de la Sagra, 1843 |
| Synonyms | |
Description
Adults grow to between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in) in total length (including tail). They are secretive and predominately terrestrial, found in a variety of natural habitats, including rain forest, swamps, pine woods and scrub, as well as in the vicinity of human habitation. They have a peculiar defensive habit of expelling blood from the mouth, nostrils and eyes when disturbed.[4] Some species also change colour over the course of the day.[4]
Despite their relatively small size and secretive nature, some species may be susceptible to extirpation, mainly due to habitat alteration and introduced feral animals. The Navassa Island dwarf boa, T. bucculentus, has not been seen for 100 years and is believed to be extinct.
Distribution and habitat
Found in the West Indies, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.[1]
Species
| Species[3] | Taxon author[3] | Subsp.*[3] | Common name | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropidophis battersbyi | Laurent, 1949 | 0 | Ecuadorian dwarf boa | Ecuador |
| Tropidophis bucculentus | (Cope, 1868) | 0 | Navassa Island dwarf boa | Navassa Island |
| Tropidophis canus | (Cope, 1868) | 3 | Bahamian dwarf boa | The Bahamas |
| Tropidophis caymanensis | Battersby, 1938 | 2 | Cayman Islands dwarf boa | Cayman Islands |
| Tropidophis feicki | Schwartz, 1957 | 0 | broad-banded dwarf boa | Western Cuba |
| Tropidophis fuscus | Hedges & Garrido, 1992 | 0 | Cuban dusky dwarf boa | Northeastern Cuba |
| Tropidophis greenwayi | Barbour & Shreve, 1936 | 1 | Caicos dwarf boa | Caicos Islands |
| Tropidophis haetianus | (Cope, 1879) | 5 | Haitian dwarf boa | Eastern Cuba, Hispaniola and adjacent islands, and Jamaica |
| Tropidophis maculatus | (Bibron, 1840) | 0 | spotted red dwarf boa | Western Cuba |
| Tropidophis melanurusT | (Schlegel, 1837) | 2 | Cuban giant dwarf boa | Cuba and adjacent islands |
| Tropidophis nigriventris | Bailey, 1937 | 0 | black-bellied dwarf boa | Central Cuba |
| Tropidophis pardalis | (Gundlach, 1840) | 0 | leopard dwarf boa | Cuba and adjacent islands |
| Tropidophis paucisquamis | (F. Müller, 1901) | 0 | Brazilian dwarf boa | Brazil in Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo |
| Tropidophis pilsbryi | Bailey, 1937 | 1 | Cuban white-necked dwarf boa | Central and eastern Cuba |
| Tropidophis semicinctus | (Gundlach & W. Peters, 1864) | 0 | yellow-banded dwarf boa | Western and central Cuba |
| Tropidophis taczanowskyi | (Steindachner, 1880) | 0 | Taczanowski's dwarf boa | Amazonian Peru and Ecuador |
| Tropidophis wrighti | Stull, 1928 | 0 | gracile banded dwarf boa | Eastern Cuba |
*) Not including the nominate subspecies
T) Type species[1]
The Reptile Database includes some further species:[5]
| Species[5] | Taxon author[5] | Subsp.*[5] | Common name | Geographic range[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropidophis celiae | (Hedges, Estrada & Díaz, 1999) | 0 | Canasi dwarf boa | Cuba and adjacent islands |
| Tropidophis curtus | (Garman, 1887) | 0 | Bahama wood snake | Bahamas |
| Tropidophis galacelidus | Schwartz & Garrido, 1975 | 0 | Pilsbry's dwarf boa | Cuba and adjacent islands |
| Tropidophis grapiuna | Curcio, Sales Nunes, Suzart Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 2012 | 0 | Brazil | |
| Tropidophis hardyi | Schwartz & Garrido, 1975 | 0 | blackbelly dwarf boa | Cuba |
| Tropidophis hendersoni | Hedges & Garrido, 2002 | 0 | Cuban khaki dwarf boa | Cuba |
| Tropidophis jamaicensis | Stull, 1928 | 0 | Jamaica dwarf boa | Jamaica |
| Tropidophis morenoi | Hedges, Garrido & Díaz, 2001 | 0 | zebra dwarf boa | Cuba |
| Tropidophis parkeri | Grant, 1941 | 0 | Parker's dwarf boa[6] | Little Cayman Island |
| Tropidophis preciosus | Curcio, Sales Nunes, Suzart Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 2012 | 0 | Brazil | |
| Tropidophis schwartzi | Thomas, 1963 | 0 | Schwartz' dwarf boa[6] | Cayman Islands |
| Tropidophis spiritus | Hedges & Garrido, 1999 | 0 | Sancti Spíritus dwarf boa | Cuba |
| Tropidophis stejnegeri | Grant, 1940 | 0 | Stejneger's dwarf boa | northern Jamaica |
| Tropidophis stullae | Grant, 1940 | 0 | Stull's dwarf boa | southern Jamaica |
| Tropidophis xanthogaster | Domínguez, Moreno & Hedges, 2006 | 0 | Guanahacabibes dwarf boa | Cuba |
*) Not including the nominate subspecies
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References
- McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- Parker HW, Grandison AGC (1977). Snakes — a Natural History. Second Edition. London and Ithaca: British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. + 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. ISBN 0-8014-1095-9 (cloth), ISBN 0-8014-9164-9 (paper).
- "Tropidophis ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
- Domínguez, Michel; Luis V. Moreno; S. Blair Hedges (August 2006). "A new snake of the genus Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae) from the Guanahacabibes Peninsula of Western Cuba". Amphibia-Reptilia. 27: 427–432. doi:10.1163/156853806778190088.
- Tropidophis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 June 2013.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Tropidophis parkeri, p. 200; T. schwartzi, p. 239).
Further reading
- Bibron G (1843). In: de la Sagra R (1843). Historia fisica, politica y natural de la isla de Cuba. Segunda parte historia natural. Tomo IV. Reptiles y peces. Paris: Bertrand. 255 pp. + Plates I-V. (Tropidophis, new genus, p. 124). (in Spanish).
- Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Genus Ungalia [=Tropidophis], p. 110).
- Freiberg M (1982). Snakes of South America. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications. 189 pp. ISBN 0-87666-912-7. (Genus Tropidophis, pp. 44, 80, 88, 188).
- Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (12 species of Tropidophis, pp. 191–196).
External links
- Tropidophis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 August 2007.
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