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Tropidophis feicki

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Tropidophis feicki
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Tropidophiidae
Genus: Tropidophis
Species:
T. feicki
Binomial name
Tropidophis feicki
Schwartz, 1957

Tropidophis feicki, also known commonly as the broad-banded dwarf boa, the broad-banded trope, and Feick's dwarf boa, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Tropidophiidae.[2] The species is endemic to Cuba.[3][4]

Etymology

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The specific name, feicki, is in honor of American biologist John R. Feick.[5]

Description

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T. feicki males can grow to 41 cm (16 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL), and females to 45 cm (18 in) SVL.[4][6] There are 217–235 ventral scales and 34–41 subcaudal scales. The dorsal ground color is grey or pink. There is a saddle pattern dorsally, but no ventral pattern.[6]

Geographic range

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T. feicki is found in western Cuba, from Pedrera de Mendoza and Guane, Pinar del Río Province, east to Pan de Matanzas, Matanzas Province.[7]

Habitat

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The preferred habitat of T. feicki is rocky areas such as upland caves, cliffs, and talus deposits,[7] within forest, at altitudes from sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft).[1]

Behavior

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T. feicki is arboreal.[6]

Diet

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T. feicki preys upon small species of lizards.[4]

Reproduction

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T. feicki is viviparous.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Fong A (2021). "Tropidophis feicki ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T75606446A75608004.en. Accessed on 22 February 2023.
  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). (Tropidophis feicki, p. 218).
  3. ^ "Tropidophis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d Tropidophis feicki at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 26 June 2017.
  5. ^ 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 feicki, p. 88).
  6. ^ a b c Hedges, S. Blair (2002). "Morphological variation and the definition of species in the snake genus Tropidophis (Serpentes, Tropidophiidae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. Zoology Series. 68. London: 83–90. doi:10.1017/S0968047002000092.
  7. ^ a b 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 feicki, p. 192).

Further reading

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  • García-Padrón, L. Yusnaviel (2022). "Maximum Size and a New Dietary Record for the Broad-banded Trope , Tropidophis feicki (Squamata: Tropidophiidae), in Cuba". Reptiles & Amphibians 29 (1): 270–272.
  • Rodríguez-Cabrera TM, Torres J, Morell-Savall E (2020). "Easternmost record of the Cuban Broad-banded Trope, Tropidophis feicki (Squamata: Tropidophiidae)". Caribbean Herpetology 71: 1–3.
  • Schwartz A (1957). "A New Species of Boa (Genus Tropidophis) from Western Cuba". American Museum Novitates (1839): 1-8. (Tropidophis feicki, new species).
  • Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. ISBN 978-0813010496. (Tropidophis feicki, p. 633).