Category Archives: Tropidophis

A new Tropidophis is described from the Dominican Republic

Conservation, Natural History, Recommended reading, Tropidophis

The new Tropidophis is to be named Tropidophis leonae sp. nov., the Jaragua Golden Trope, after Dominican biologist Yolanda M. Leon, a conservation advocate who logistically supported the project. The work was accomplished by Miguel A. Landestoy T. in a single author paper – Bravo! . The author is also the discoverer of Chilabothrus ampelophis (see: ).
This new species is smaller and laterally compressed when compared to the only other Trope on the large island, Tropidophis haetianus.  It has a higher ventral count, differs in head width, neck width, color and pattern.
The Trope was found preying on tadpoles and small toadlets in several inches of water in a limestone hole.  It is found only from the karst foothills near Pedernales Province.  This brings the number of Tropidophis to 35, with six of them living on the mainland.  There is so much work to be done with this genus.  Who will take up the monumental challenge?
The new paper can be found here.

Tropidophis leonae, sp. nov., 2023.

Citations

Landestoy T., M. A. (2023). A remarkable new snake of the genus Tropidophis (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) from southern Hispaniola. Novitates Caribaea, 21, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.33800/nc.vi21.323
Landestoy T., M. A., Reynolds, R. G., & Henderson, R. W. (2021). A SMALL NEW ARBOREAL SPECIES OF WEST INDIAN BOA (BOIDAE; CHILABOTHRUS) FROM SOUTHERN HISPANIOLA. Breviora, 571(1). https://doi.org/10.3099/0006-9698-571.1.1

A new species of dwarf boa, Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov., from the Upper Amazon Basin

Conservation, Natural History, Recommended reading, Tropidophis

This new Tropidophis species was found while examining a series of snakes from the Andes of Ecuador.  The new species is tentatively placed as a sister-clade to Tropdophis taczanowskyi.  More research is needed as the sequences for the mainland species are  absent in the database.  “Cacuangoae” is Latinized in honor of human rights Ecuadoran activist Dolores Cacuango.
This new Trope brings the number of valid species to 34, with six of those found on the mainland.  On the mainland, the Tropes are evenly divided with three on the Atlantic highland forest range of eastern Brazil and three on the West side of the continent in montane tropical forests of Ecuador and Peru; yet east of the Andes.  It is interesting all are  found at higher and cooler elevations.
This paper highlights the need for more work on the Genus-there is little to no sequencing available for the genus in its entirety.  That work would clarify some species validity issues, allow candidate species to be described, invalidate others and, most likely, raise a whole new littany of questions about the genus .

Male holotype Tropidophis cacuangoae sp. nov.

Read the new paper published in the European Journal of Taxonomy 854: 1-107 (2022) here.

Citations

Ortega-Andrade, H. M., Bentley, A., Koch, C., Yánez-Muñoz, M. H., & Entiauspe-Neto, O. M. (2022). A time relic: a new species of dwarf boa, Tropidophis Bibron, 1840 (Serpentes: Amerophidia), from the Upper Amazon Basin. European Journal of Taxonomy, 854, 1–107. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.854.2021

 

Pre-order available for “Boas of the West Indies: Evolution, Natural History, and Conservation”

Boa, Chilabothrus, Conservation, Corallus, Natural History, Recommended reading, Tropidophis

By R. Graham Reynolds, Robert W. Henderson, Luis M. Diaz, Tomas M. Rodriguez-Cabrera and Alberto R. Puente-Rolon.  Forward by Jonathan B. Losos.  Hardcover $59.95
ISBN13: 9781501765452
ISBN10: 1501765450
Publication date: 03/15/2023
Pages: 288
Illustrations: 122 color photos, 21 maps, 3 charts, 2 graphs
Dimensions: 8 x 10 x 0 in
Pre-order here:
https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501765452/boas-of-the-west-indies/#bookTabs=4

Reptiles and Amphibians, Vol 28, No. 3, December 2021 issue

Natural History, Recommended reading, Tropidophis

This particular issue has four articles on the Genus Tropidophis.  They are:

Giant dwarfs: Very large giant tropes Tropidophis melanurus (Squamata: Tropidophiidae), and new maximum size records for the species.
https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/15965

New prey records for two snakes of the genus Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae) from urban habitats in La Habana, Cuba.
https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/15858

Predation on murid rodents by the Giant Trope, Tropidophis melanurus (Squamata: Tropidophiidae), with comments on predation of mammals by snakes of the genus Tropidophis
https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/15876

Westernmost record of the Spotted Red Trope, Tropidophis maculatus (Squamata: Tropidophiidae), with comments on the Tropidophis species assemblage from the Guanahacabibes Peninsula.
https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/15857

Individual PDF’s can be downloaded from each link.

Picking Winners & Losers: Who Decides?

Boa, Chilabothrus, Conservation, Corallus, Natural History, Tropidophis

Mr. James Peters, after spending several months in the Virgin Islands region in 1917, returned with rather unfortunate news of the bank.  He reported the fauna was, sadly, “depleted and fast disappearing” .  Schwartz and Henderson in 1975 were of the hope that the future survival of the West Indian Herpetofauna was brighter than it indicated at the time .  Powell & Henderson highlighted the plight of the West Indian herpetofauna in 2008 .  Daudin & De Silva (2011) remarked, “The general situation is so desperate that even the most deliberate conservation efforts will probably amount to salvage operations” .

“If we continue down that path”, has become, “Because we continued down that path.”  A decade later it appears we are reaching the point of no return.   The billions of dollars flooding into the Caribbean for myriad purposes are paving it end-to-end.   Surely not, you say?  Well, let’s take a trip down memory  deforestation lane, shall we? Continue reading Picking Winners & Losers: Who Decides? →