Chilabothrus fordii


Chilabothrus fordii, known commonly as Ford's boa or the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae.

Geographic range

C. fordii is found on the island of Hispaniola, and on the islets of Île de la Gonâve, Isla Saona, and Île à Cabrit in the Gulf of Gonâve.

Etymology

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

Description

Chilabothrus fordii is a medium-sized snake. Adults may attain a total length of, which includes a tail 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. Ventrals 250-265; anal plate entire; subcaudals 70-80 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.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate race.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Chilabothrus.