Chilabothrus fordii

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Ford's boa
PelophilusFordiiFord.jpg
illustration by G.H. Ford,
for whom the species is named

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genus: Chilabothrus
Species:
C. fordii
Binomial name
Chilabothrus fordii
(Günther, 1861)
Synonyms[2][3]

Chilabothrus fordii, known commonly as Ford's boa[4] or the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae.[5]

Geographic range[]

C. fordii is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and on the surrounding islets of Île de la Gonâve, Isla Catalina, and Isla Saona.

Etymology[]

The specific name, fordii, is in honor of South African-born George Henry Ford,[4] artist at the British Museum (Natural History), "whose merits in herpetology are well known by his truly artistical [sic] drawings".[6]

Description[]

Chilabothrus fordii is a medium-sized snake. Adults may attain a total length of 74 cm (29+1⁄8 in), which includes a tail 12.5 cm (4+7⁄8 in) long.

Dorsally it has a ground color that is pale olive, yellowish, or reddish, overlaid by a series of transverse dark brown blotches, which are oval or kidney-shaped, with blackish borders. Some of these blotches may merge to form a wide wavy stripe in some places. Ventrally it is yellowish, with small brown spots.

The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 33-43 rows. Ventrals 250-265; anal plate entire; subcaudals 70-80 also entire.

On the dorsal surface of the head, the large frontal contacts the supraoculars; the remainder is covered by small irregular plates. There are 13 or 14 upper labials, without labial pits.[2]

Subspecies[]

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate subspecies.

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Chilabothrus.

References[]

  1. ^ Landestoy, M., Inchaustegui, S. & Henderson, R.W. 2021. Chilabothrus fordii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T15155091A15155181. Downloaded on 04 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b 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. (Epicrates fordii, p. 98).
  3. ^ 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. ("Epicrates fordi [sic]", p. 184).
  4. ^ a b 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. ("Epicrates fordi [sic]", p. 92).
  5. ^ "Epicrates ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  6. ^ Günther A (1861). "On a New Species of the Family Boidae". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1861: 142 + Plate XXIII. (Pelophilus fordii, new species).
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