Corallus

Name

Corallus Daudin, 1803

References

* Corallus at the New Reptile Database. Accessed on 10 Mar 2008.

Vernacular names
English: Tree Boas

Corallus is a genus of non-venomous boas found in Central America, South America and the West Indies. Seven species are currently recognized.[2]

Description

All members of this genus are long, slightly flattened laterally and have thin bodies with large heads. They typically have relatively large eyes, although this is less pronounced in the larger species, such as the emerald tree boa, Corallus caninus. The anterior teeth are highly elongated, often being several times the length one would expect for snakes of their size. These are used for penetrating layers of feathers to get a firm grip on birds, their primary prey. All members of the genus are nocturnal and have large numbers of very pronounced thermoreceptive pits are located between the labial scales.

Geographic range

Found in Central America, South America and the West Indies. In Central America they occur in Honduras, eastern Guatemala through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Its range in South America includes Pacific Colombia and Ecuador, as well as the Amazon Basin from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Bolivia through Brazil to Venezuela, Isla Margarita, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. In the West Indies it is found on St. Vincent, the Grenadines (Bequia Island, Ile Quatre, Baliceaux, Mustique, Canouan, Maryeau, Union Island, Petit Martinique and Carriacou), Grenada and the Windward Islands (Lesser Antilles).[1]

Species

Species[2]	Taxon author[2]	Subsp.*[2]	Common name	Geographic range[1]
C. annulatus	(Cope, 1875)	2	Annulated tree boa	Central America in eastern Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. Also in South America in Pacific Colombia and northwestern Ecuador.
C. caninus	(Linnaeus, 1758)	0	Emerald tree boa	South America in the Amazon Basin region of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, northern Bolivia, Brazil, and from Venezuela to the Guianas.
C. cookii	Gray, 1842	0	Cook's tree boa	St. Vincent (West Indies).
C. cropanii	(Hoge, 1953)	0	Cropan's boa	Miracatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
C. grenadensis	(Barbour, 1914)	0	Grenadian bank tree boa	The Grenadines: Bequia Island, Ile Quatre, Baliceaux, Mustique, Canouan, Maryeau, Union Island and Carriacou and Grenada.
C. hortulanusT	(Linnaeus, 1758)	0	Amazon tree boa	South America in southern Colombia east of the Andes, southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Amazonian Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
C. ruschenbergerii	(Cope, 1876)	0	Central American tree boa	Lower Central America in southwestern Costa Rica (south of 10° N) and Panama, including Isla del Rey, Isla Contadora, Isla de Cébaco and Isla Suscantupu. South America in Colombia east of the Andes, north of the Cordillera Central and north of the Cordillera Oriental, northern Venezuela north of the Cordillera de Mérida and in the drainage of the Río Orinoco, north and west of the Guiana Shield, east of the Orinoco Delta. Also on Isla Margarita, Trinidad and Tobago.

*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species.

Captivity

Two species are frequently imported as display animals, the Amazon tree boa, C. hortulanus, and the emerald tree boa, C. caninus. "Pet" is not a term one would apply to these species, as most, if not all, have an aggressive demeanor and will strike readily. Their stunning coloration makes them popular, but their specialized habitat and feeding make them suitable only for advanced keepers.

References

1. ^ a b c McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
2. ^ a b c d e "Corallus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=209571. Retrieved 4 July 2008.