Chilabothrus fordii

Chilabothrus fordii, known commonly as Ford's boa[3] or the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae.[4]

Ford's boa
illustration by G.H. Ford,
for whom this species is named
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genus: Chilabothrus
Species:
C. fordii
Binomial name
Chilabothrus fordii
(Günther, 1861)
Synonyms[1][2]

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 and Isla Saona.

Etymology

The specific name, fordii, is in honor of South African-born George Henry Ford,[3] artist at the British Museum (Natural History), "whose merits in herpetology are well known by his truly artistical [sic] drawings".[5]

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.[1]

Subspecies

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

  • Chilabothrus fordii fordii (Günther, 1861)
  • Chilabothrus fordii agametus Sheplan & Schwartz, 1974
  • Chilabothrus fordii manototus Schwartz, 1979

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

References
  1. 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).
  2. 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).
  3. 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).
  4. "Epicrates ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  5. 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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