Tropidophis melanurus (SCHLEGEL, 1837)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Tropidophis melanurus?
Tropidophis melanurus
Find more photos by Google images search: 
| Higher Taxa | Tropidophiidae, Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Tropidophis melanurus melanurus (SCHLEGEL 1837) Tropidophis melanurus dysodes SCHWARTZ & THOMAS 1960 Tropidophis melanurus ericksoni SCHWARTZ & THOMAS 1960 |
| Common Names | E: Giant Trope, Wood Snake G: Kubanische Zwergboa |
| Synonym | Boa melanura SCHLEGEL 1837: 399 Tropidophis melanurus — BIBRON in DE LA SAGRA 1840: 208 Tropidophis melanurus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1844: 491 Tropidophis melanurus — JAN 1864 Ungualia [sic] melanura — GARMAN 1887: 278 Ungalia melanura — BOULENGER 1893: 111 Tropidophis melanurus melanurus — SCHWARTZ & OGREN 1956 Tropidophis melanurus — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 638 Tropidophis melanurus — MATTISON 1995: 112 Tropidophis melanurus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 220 Tropidophis melanurus — MATTISON 2007: 137 Tropidophis melanurus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 754 Tropidophis melanurus dysodes SCHWARTZ & THOMAS, 1960 Tropidophis melanurus dysodes — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1988 Tropidophis melanurus dysodes — POWELL & HENDERSON 2012 Tropidophis melanurus ericksoni SCHWARTZ & THOMAS, 1960 Tropidophis melanurus ericksoni — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1988 Tropidophis melanurus ericksoni — POWELL & HENDERSON 2012 |
| Distribution | Cuba melanurus: throughout Cuba with exception of range of T. m. dysodes. Type locality: Cuba. dysodes: Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba. Type locality: 1 km N La Coloma, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba. ericksoni: Isla de la Juventud.Type locality: Bibijagua, Isla de la Juventud. |
| Reproduction | viviparous. |
| Types | Holotype: Unlocated (SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1988) Holotype: AMNH 82893 [dysodes] Holotype: AMNH 82897 [ericksoni] |
| Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION (including bucculentus, dysodes, ericksoni): Maximum total length 1057 mm; dorsal scale rows at midbody 25, 27, 28, or 29; dorsals from heavily keeled to not at all; middorsal row greatly widened, bicarinate on posterior fifth of body to level of vent; ventrals 183-217; subcaudals 29-39; supralabials 9-10/9-10; infralabials 11-14/11-14; preoculars usually 1/1; postoculars usually 3/3. Dorsal ground color tan, grayish tan, ashy gray, buff, dark brown, or reddish; dorsal pattern variable: (1) 4 conspicuous longitudinal lines, with or without dorsal blotches (usually 2 scales in length), lateral margins of dorsal blotches edged cream or white, conspicuous cephalic figure (T. m. melanurus, T. m. bucculentus); (2) zigzag or staggered dorsal blotches usually dark and prominent on lighter ground color (usually 3-4 scales long and bordered laterally by white or cream mark or line), median dark brown line beginning on neck and extending to vent (involving median and 2 paramedian scale rows), 2 other dark lines (on scale rows 10-11 and 6-7) begin anteriorly as dark line from naris through eye and across temporal area and continuing to base of tail, dark blotch on snout, head with well-defined, dark, cephalic pattern, supralabials clouded with brown, infralabials with discrete, black blotches (T. m. ericksoni); (3) orange-margined, dark dorsal blotches 3-5 scales wide (not in sharp contrast to dark brown ground color) in zigzag or staggered arrangement, dorsum with series of longitudinal lines, dark, rectangular, cephalic figure, supralabials suffused with dark brown, infralabials dotted with light and dark brown (T. m. dysodes); tail tip light or dark; venter buffy with irregular to dark brown blotches (especially prominent on posterior fifth of belly), or ventrals always clouded and stippled with brown having little or no distinct spotting, or heavy spotting on posterior third of venter and underside of tail (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 638). |
| Comment | Subspecies: Tropidophis melanurus bucculentus COPE, 1868 has been elevated to full species status. For illustrations see Cooper, 1958; Schwartz and Thomas, 1960; Petzold, 1963; Petzold, 1969; Schwartz and Henderson, 1985. Type species: Boa melanura SCHLEGEL 1837: 399 is the type species of the genus Tropidophis BIBRON 1840. Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). |
| References |
|
| External links |
|