Tropidophis, common name Caribbean dwarf boas, wood snakes or West Indian wood snakes,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. (cloth), (paper). is a genus of dwarf boas endemic to the West Indies and South America. Currently, either 17 or 33 species are recognized, depending on the authority.

Distribution and habitat Found in the West Indies, including Cuba, and in South America (Brazil, Peru and Ecuador). Description

Adults grow to between in total length (including tail). They are secretive and predominantly 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 an interesting defensive habit of autohaemorrhaging from the mouth, nostrils and eyes when disturbed. Some species also change colour over the course of the day.

Conservation 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.

Taxonomy

The Tropidophis dwarf boas have been traditionally considered sister taxa of the Trachyboa. However, a phylogenetic analysis of Tropidophiidae species found the Trachyboa species nested within the Tropidophis species and it was proposed to include all species in Tropidophis.

Species

The following 37 species are recognised by Reptile Database. These include two species that have historically been placed in genus Trachyboa and still are by some authorities.

SpeciesTaxon authorSubsp.Common nameGeographic rangeTropidophis battersbyiLaurent, 19490Battersby's dwarf boaEcuadorTropidophis boulengeri(Peracca, 1910)0Northern eyelash boaColombia, Ecuador, Panama, Tropidophis bucculentus(Cope, 1868)0Navassa Island dwarf boaNavassa IslandTropidophis cacuangoae(Hedges, Estrada & Díaz, 1999)0EcuadorTropidophis canus(Cope, 1868)0Bahamian pygmy boa constrictorthe BahamasTropidophis caymanensisBattersby, 19380Cayman Islands dwarf boathe Cayman IslandsTropidophis celiae(Hedges, Estrada & Díaz, 1999)0Canasi dwarf boaCuba and adjacent islandsTropidophis curtus(Garman, 1887)0Northern Bahamas dwarf boathe BahamasTropidophis feickiSchwartz, 19570broad-banded dwarf boawestern CubaTropidophis fuscusHedges & Garrido, 19920Cuban dusky dwarf boanortheastern CubaTropidophis galacelidusSchwartz & Garrido, 19750Escambray white-necked dwarf boacentral CubaTropidophis grapiunaCurcio, Sales-Nunes, Suzart-Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 20120BrazilTropidophis greenwayiBarbour & Shreve, 19362Caicos Islands dwarf boathe Caicos IslandsTropidophis gularis W. Peters, 18600Southern eyelash boa EcuadorTropidophis haetianus(Cope, 1879)3Haitian dwarf boaHispaniola and adjacent islandsTropidophis hardyiSchwartz & Garrido, 19750Escambray small-headed dwarf boaCubaTropidophis hendersoniHedges & Garrido, 20020Cuban khaki dwarf boaCubaTropidophis jamaicensisStull, 1928 0Jamaican dwarf boaJamaicaTropidophis leonaeLandestoy, 20230Jaragua golden trope Dominican RepublicTropidophis maculatus(Bibron, 1840)0spotted red dwarf boawestern CubaTropidophis melanurusT(Schlegel, 1837)3dusky dwarf boaCuba and adjacent islandsTropidophis morenoiHedges, Garrido & Díaz, 20010zebra dwarf boaCubaTropidophis nigriventrisBailey, 19370black-bellied dwarf boacentral CubaTropidophis pardalis(Gundlach, 1840)0leopard dwarf boaCuba and adjacent islandsTropidophis parkeriGrant, 19410Parker's dwarf boaBeolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Tropidophis parkeri, p. 200; T. schwartzi, p. 239).Little Cayman IslandTropidophis paucisquamis(F. Müller, 1901)0Brazilian dwarf boaBrazil in Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São PauloTropidophis preciosusCurcio, Sales Nunes, Suzart Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 20120BrazilTropidophis pilsbryiBailey, 19370Cuban white-necked dwarf boacentral and eastern CubaTropidophis schwartziThomas, 19630Schwartz's dwarf boathe Cayman IslandsTropidophis semicinctus(Gundlach & W. Peters, 1864)0yellow-banded dwarf boawestern and central CubaTropidophis spiritusHedges & Garrido, 19990 Sancti Spíritus dwarf boaCubaTropidophis steinleiniDíaz & Cádiz, 20200CubaTropidophis stejnegeri Grant, 1940 0 Stejneger's dwarf boanorthern JamaicaTropidophis stullae Grant, 1940 0 Stull's dwarf boasouthern JamaicaTropidophis taczanowskyi(Steindachner, 1880)0Taczanowski's dwarf boaAmazonian Peru and EcuadorTropidophis wrightiStull, 19280Wright's dwarf boaeastern CubaTropidophis xanthogasterDomínguez, Moreno & Hedges, 20060Guanahacabibes dwarf boaCuba

There are currently 37 species, of which 29 are West Indian and 17 Cuban. The species in Cuba are the most diverse.

References

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. . (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).

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