Chilabothrus fordii

{{speciesbox

| name = Ford's boa

| image = PelophilusFordiiFord.jpg

| image_caption = illustration by G.H. Ford,
for whom the species is named

| genus = Chilabothrus

| species = fordii

| status = NT

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = 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.

| authority = (Günther, 1861)

| synonyms = *Pelophilus fordii
{{small|Günther, 1861}}

Chilabothrus fordii
{{small|— Jan, 1865}}
Chilabothrus maculatus
{{small|J.G. Fischer, 1888}}
Epicrates fordii
{{small|— Boulenger, 1893}}
Epicrates fordi [sic]
{{small|— Schwartz & Thomas, 1975}}
Chilabothrus fordii
{{small|— Reynolds et al., 2013}}

| synonyms_ref =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).

}}

Chilabothrus fordii, also known commonly as Ford's boa and the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to Hispaniola.{{ITIS|id=634798|taxon=Epicrates |accessdate=August 11, 2010}} There are three recognized subspecies.

Geographic range

C. fordii is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic),{{EMBL species|genus=Chilabothrus|species=fordii}} www.reptile-database.org. including the surrounding islets of Île à Cabrit, Île de la Gonâve, Isla Catalina, and Isla Saona.Henderson RW, Powell R (2004). "Epicrates fordii ". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (800): 1–3.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of C. fordii is forest, at altitudes from sea level to {{cvt|713|m|ft}}, but it has also been found in agricultural areas.

Etymology

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

Description

C. fordii is a small snake. Adults may attain a total length of {{convert|74|cm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}}, which includes a tail {{convert|12.5|cm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} 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.

Diet

C. fordii preys upon lizards and rodents.

Reproduction

C. fordii is viviparous.

Subspecies

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

Chilabothrus fordii fordii {{small|(Günther, 1861)}}
Chilabothrus fordii agametus {{small|Sheplan & Schwartz, 1974}}
Chilabothrus fordii manototus {{small|Schwartz, 1979}}

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