Tropidophis

Tropidophis
Tropidophis melanurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Tropidophiidae
Genus:	Tropidophis Bibron In de la Sagra, 1843
Synonyms
Tropidophis Bibron In de la Sagra, 1843 Leionotus Bibron In de la Sagra, 1843 Ungalia Gray, 1842 Erycopsis Fitzinger, 1843 Notophis Hallowell, 1856 Ungalia Cope, 1868[1]

Tropidophis, common name wood snake or West Indian wood snake,^[2] is a genus of dwarf boas^[3] endemic to the West Indies and South America. Currently, 17 species are recognized.^[3]

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.

Geographic range

Found in the West Indies, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.^[1]

Species

Species[3]	Taxon author[3]	Subsp.*[3]	Common name	Geographic range[1]
T. battersbyi	Laurent, 1949	0	Ecuadorian dwarf boa	Ecuador
T. bucculentus	(Cope, 1868)	0	Navassa Island dwarf boa	Navassa Island
T. canus	(Cope, 1868)	3	Bahamian dwarf boa	The Bahamas
T. caymanensis	Battersby, 1938	2	Cayman Islands dwarf boa	Cayman Islands
T. feicki	Schwartz, 1957	0	broad-banded dwarf boa	Western Cuba
T. fuscus	Hedges & Garrido, 1992	0	Cuban dusky dwarf boa	Northeastern Cuba
T. greenwayi	Barbour & Shreve, 1936	1	Caicos dwarf boa	Caicos Islands
T. haetianus	(Cope, 1879)	5	Haitian dwarf boa	Eastern Cuba, Hispaniola and adjacent islands, and Jamaica
T. maculatus	(Bibron, 1840)	0	spotted red dwarf boa	Western Cuba
T. melanurus^T	(Schlegel, 1837)	2	Cuban giant dwarf boa	Cuba and adjacent islands
T. nigriventris	Bailey, 1937	0	black-bellied dwarf boa	Central Cuba
T. pardalis	(Gundlach, 1840)	0	leopard dwarf boa	Cuba and adjacent islands
T. paucisquamis	(Müller, 1901)	0	Brazilian dwarf boa	Brazil in Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
T. pilsbryi	Bailey, 1937	1	Cuban white-necked dwarf boa	Central and eastern Cuba
T. semicinctus	(Gundlach & W. Peters, 1864)	0	yellow-banded dwarf boa	Western and central Cuba
T. taczanowskyi	(Steindachner, 1880)	0	Taczanowski's dwarf boa	Amazonian Peru and Ecuador
T. 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, newly-described species:^[5]

Species[5]	Taxon author[5]	Subsp.*[5]	Common name	Geographic range[5]
T. celiae	(Hedges, Estrada & Díaz, 1999)	0	Canasi dwarf boa	Cuba and adjacent islands
T. grapiuna	Curcio, Sales Nunes, Suzart Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 2012	0		Brazil
T. hardyi	Schwartz & Garrido, 1975	0		Cuba
T. hendersoni	Hedges & Garrido, 2002	0	Cuban khaki dwarf boa	Cuba
T. morenoi	Hedges, Garrido & Díaz, 2001	0	zebra dwarf boa	Cuba
T. preciosus	Curcio, Sales Nunes, Suzart Argolo, Skuk & Rodrigues, 2012	0		Brazil
T. schwartzi	Thomas, 1963	0	Schwartz' dwarf boa	Cayman Islands
T. spiritus	Hedges & Garrido, 1999	0	Sancti Spíritus dwarf boa	Cuba
T. xanthogaster	Domínguez, Moreno & Hedges, 2006	0	Guanahacabibes dwarf boa	Cuba

*) Not including the nominate subspecies

See also

• List of tropidophiid species and subspecies
• Tropidophiidae by common name
• Tropidophiidae by taxonomic synonyms

References

1. 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).
2. 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).
3. "Tropidophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
4. 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. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
5. Tropidophis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

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.