Chilabothrus fordii

Ford's boa
	illustration by G.H. Ford, ; for whom the species is named
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Boidae
Genus:	Chilabothrus
Species:	C. fordii
Binomial name
	Chilabothrus fordii; (Günther, 1861)
Synonyms
	Pelophilus fordii ; Günther, 1861; Chilabothrus fordii ; — Jan, 1865; Chilabothrus maculatus ; J.G. Fischer, 1888; Epicrates fordii ; — Boulenger, 1893; Epicrates fordi [sic] ; — Schwartz & Thomas, 1975; Chilabothrus fordii ; — Reynolds et al., 2013;

Chilabothrus fordii, also known commonly as Ford's boa^[4] and the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae.^[5] There are three recognized subspecies.

Geographic range

C. fordii is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic),^[1]^[4] including the surrounding islets of Île à Cabrit, Île de la Gonâve, Isla Catalina, and Isla Saona.^[6]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of C. fordii is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 713 m (2,339 ft), but it has also been found in agricultural areas.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name, fordii, is in honor of South African-born George Henry Ford,^[7] artist at the British Museum (Natural History), "whose merits in herpetology are well known by his truly artistical [sic] drawings".^[8]

Description

C. fordii is a small snake. Adults may attain a total length of 74 cm (29+1⁄8 in), which includes a tail 12.5 cm (4+7⁄8 in) long.

Dorsally, it has a ground color that is pale olive, yellowish, or reddish, overlaid by a series of transverse dark brown blotches, which are oval or kidney-shaped, with blackish borders. Some of these blotches may merge to form a wide wavy stripe in some places. Ventrally, it is yellowish, with small brown spots.

The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 33-43 rows. The ventrals number 250-265; the anal plate is entire; and the subcaudals, which number 70-80, are also entire.

On the dorsal surface of the head, the large frontal contacts the supraoculars; the remainder is covered by small irregular plates. There are 13 or 14 upper labials, without labial pits.^[2]

Diet

C. fordii preys upon lizards and rodents.^[1]

Reproduction

C. fordii is viviparous.^[1]^[4]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate subspecies.

Chilabothrus fordii fordii (Günther, 1861)
Chilabothrus fordii agametus Sheplan & Schwartz, 1974
Chilabothrus fordii manototus Schwartz, 1979

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Chilabothrus.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Landestoy M, Inchaustegui S, Henderson RW (2021). "Chilabothrus fordii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T15155091A15155181.en. Accessed on 10 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b 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. (Epicrates fordii, p. 98).
^ 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. ("Epicrates fordi [sic]", p. 184).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Species Chilabothrus fordii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
^ The species is endemic to Hispaniola."Epicrates ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
^ Henderson RW, Powell R (2004). "Epicrates fordii ". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (800): 1–3.
^ 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. ("Epicrates fordi [sic]", p. 92).
^ Günther A (1861). "On a New Species of the Family Boidae". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1861: 142 + Plate XXIII. (Pelophilus fordii, new species).