Tropidophis pilsbryi, commonly known as Pilsbry's dwarf boa[1] or the Cuban white-necked dwarf boa, is a species of snake in the family Tropidophiidae.[2] The species is endemic to Cuba.[1]

Tropidophis pilsbryi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Tropidophiidae
Genus: Tropidophis
Species:
T. pilsbryi
Binomial name
Tropidophis pilsbryi
Bailey, 1937
Synonyms[1]
  • Tropidophis maculatus pilsbryi
    Bailey, 1937
  • Tropidophis pilsbryi
    Schwartz & Henderson, 1991

Etymology

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Both the specific name, pilsbryi, and one of the common names, Pilsbry's dwarf boa, are in honor of American malacologist Henry Augustus Pilsbry.[3]

Subspecies

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Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies:[1]

  • Tropidophis pilsbryi pilsbryi Bailey, 1937 – eastern Cuba
  • Tropidophis pilsbryi galacelidus Schwartz & Garrido, 1975 – central Cuba

Taxonomy

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In 2002 Hedges elevated the subspecies T. p. galacelidus to a full species, T. galacelidus.[4]

Description

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Males of T. p. pilsbryi grow to a snout–vent length (SVL) of 295 mm (11.6 in), and females grow to 260 mm (10 in) SVL.[1] T. p. galacelidus can get larger, with a snout–vent length of 187 mm (7.4 in) in males, but 405 mm (15.9 in) SVL in females.[4]

Reproduction

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T. pilsbryi is viviparous.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Tropidophis pilsbryi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 6 November 2014.
  2. ^ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (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).
  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. (Tropidophis pilsbryi, p. 207).
  4. ^ a b Tropidophis galacelidus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 31 July 2016.

Further reading

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  • Bailey JR (1937). "A review of some recent Tropidophis material". Proc. New England Zoöl. Club 16: 41–52. (Tropidophis maculatus pilsbryi, new subspecies, p. 42).
  • Hedges SB (2002). "Morphological variation and the definition of species in the snake genus Tropidophis (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae) from eastern Cuba". Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. London (Zool.) 68 (2): 83–90.
  • Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 714 pp. ISBN 978-0813010496. (Tropidophis pilsbryi, p. 641).
  • 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. (Tropidophis pilsbryi, p. 195).