Post on 22-May-2020
SNAKES
CITES Identification manual Tentative tool for Thai CITES officers
Compiled by TANYA CHAN-ARD NATIONAL SCIENCE MUSEUM MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION
• ORDER SQUAMATA • SUBORDER SERPENTES • CITES Listed - Boas and relatives - Colubrids - Elapids - Viperids
GENERAL CHARATERS of boas & relatives
- No fangs - Some with vestigue hind limbs - numerous dorsal scales - Ventrals not enlarged
Identification aid to boas and relatives
Head distinct and elongate; body slender; tail usually prehensile. Generally tree living species, good climbers
• Cagarea • Chondopython • Corallus • Epicrates • Exiliboa • Morelia • Python • Sanzilia • Ungaliophis
Identification aid to boas and relatives
Head flat, broad, distinct; thick bodied; tail usually short. Generally bottom living species.
• Acrantophis • Boa • Candoia • Eunectes • Liasis • Morelia • Lichanura • Python • Trachyboa • Tropidophis • Xenoboa
Identification aid to boas and relatives
Head wedge- shaped, not distinct; eyes small; body cylindrical, heavy; tail short. Generally burrowing species.
• Aspiditis • Bolyeria • Calabaria • Charina • Eryx • Lichanura • Loxocemus
Identification aid to boas and relatives
Often coiling- up when disturbed
• Calabaria • Candoia • Charina • Corallus (caninus) • Chondropython (viridis) • Python regius • Tropidophis
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
green • Morelia viridis (Chondropython viridis) (adults) (left)
• Corallus caninus (adults) (below)
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Yellowish/ Reddish • Morelia viridis (juveniles) • Corallus caninus (juveniles) • Epicrates cenchria cenchria • Python curtus
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Yellowish/ Greenish/ Blackish
• Eunectes spp. • Sanzinia madagascariensis
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Yellowish with distinct markings
• Morelia timorensis • Eunectes spp.
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Olive/ Yellowish, markings more or less absent
• Morelia amethistina • Morelia albertisii • Morelia mackloti
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Brownish Loxocemus bicolor
• Calabarian reinhardtii • Charina bottae • Epicrates spp. • Eryx johnii • Lichanura trivirgata • Loxocemus bicolor • Morelia spp. • Liasis spp.
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Brownish with distinct markings Acrantophis madagascariensis
• Acrantophis spp. • Boa constrictor • Python anchietae • Python bivittatus • Python molurus • Python regius • Python reticulatus • Python sebae
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Brownish to blackish with distinct markings
• Boa constrictor occidentalis • Liasis childreni
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Blackish • Exiliboa placata • Trachyboa spp.
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Dark or black head • Aspiditis melanocephalus • Leiopython albertisii • Python boeleni
Species having distinct and conspicuous colors or pattern
Banded • Liasis boa • Morelia spilota variegata
CITES Listed
App. I • Python molurus • Acrantophis spp. • Boa constrictor occidentalis • Epicrates inornatus • Epicrates monensis • Epicrates subflavus • Sanzinia madagascariensis
App. II • Loxocemidae spp. • Pythonidae spp. • Boidae spp. • Boyeriidae spp. • Tropidophiidae spp.
LOXOCEMIDAE
Neotropical sunbeam snake 1 species Loxocemus bicolor Mexico and C America • Size: to 1.2 m • Color: dark brown, sometimes
with cream- colored belly. • Scales: ventrals somewhat
enlarged. • Body form: moderately stout,
with small head and slightly upturned rostral scale; skull stout.
BOIDAE
Acrantophis dumerilii
Boas 28 species in 8 genera N and S America; E Indies, Madagascar, New Guinea, some Pacific Is. • Size: 0.5 – 4 m. • Color: usually brown or gray with
darker markings; emerald tree boa green with lighter markings.
• Scales: many rows of small dorsal scales, ventral scutes somewhat enlarged.
• Body form: usually moderately stout, but Haitian vine boa has long, slender neck, head distinct, tail moderately long.
PYTHONIDAE
Pythons > 25 species in 4 genera Old world tropical and subtropical • Size: 1- > 10 m. • Color: uniform brown or bright
green to boldly patterned with blotches or diamonds.
• Scales: numerous dorsal scales, somewhat enlarged ventral scutes.
• Body form: cylindrical, with short tail and vestigue of hind limbs.
BOLYERIIDAE
Bolyeria multicarinata
Mascarine boas 2 species in 2 genera Round Is. • Size: 0.8- 1.4 m • Color: brown or gray, with
irregular vague markings • Body form: moderately
slender or stout; head somewhat distinct; tail moderately long.
TROPIDOPHIIDAE
Tropidophis melanurus
Dwarf boas 21 species in 4 genera S & C America, W Indies, Malaysia • Size: 30 cm to 1 m • Color: usually brown or gray with
irregular, vague markings; some species brightly spotted or ringed.
• Scales: numerous dorsal scales, ventrals somewhat enlarge.
• Body form: moderately slender, head somewhat enlarged.
COLUBRIDAE
Colubrids Almost 1,700 species in 290 genera Worldwide. • Size: 13 cm to 3.5 m. • Color: many are brown, gray, or
black; some are red, yellow, or green, with spots, blotches, or stripes.
• Scales: head scutes usually enlarged, dorsal scales keeled or smooth; ventrals typically enlarged.
• Body form: ranges from extremely slender to stout; head enlarged or indistinct, usually with a tapering body; pupils horizontal or vertical elliptical, usually round.
CITES Listed
App. II • Clelia clelia • Cyclagras gigas • Elachistodon westermanni • Ptyas musosa
App. III (India) • Atretion schistosum • Xenochrophis piscator • Cerberus rynchops
(Homalopsinae, now raised into a family)
• Elachistrodon westermanni
• Xenochrophis piscator
ELAPIDAE Cobras and their allies > 270 species in 62 genera N & S America, Asia, E & S Africa, Australia. • Size: 38 cm to 5.6 m. • Color: most gray, brown or black,
often with collars or cross- bands; some bright green; coral snakes ringed with red, yellow, and black.
• Scales: head scales large, dorsals usually smooth, ventrals enlarged.
• Body form: head usually slightly distinct, body cylindrical and slender in most, but death adders are stocky; sea snakes and sea kraits are compressed to oar- shaped, all with small fangs on maxilla, usually only slightly moveable, vemom usually neurotoxic.
CITES Listed
App. II • Hoplocephalus bungaroides • Naja atra • Naja kaouthia • Naja mandalayensis • Naja naja • Naja oxiana • Naja philippinensis • Naja sagittifera • Naja samarensis • Naja siamensis • Naja sputatrix • Naja sumatrana • Ophiophagus hannah
App. III (Honduras) • Micrurus diastema • Micrurus nigrocinctus
• Ophiophagus hannah
Naja kaouthia Naja naja Naja oxiana
Micrurus nigrocinctus Naja siamensis Naja sputatrix
VIPERIDAE
Vipers and pit- vipers > 230 species in 28 genera Worldwide. • Size: 25 cm. to 3.7 m. • Color: from bright green with red
markings to solid brown, or black; most with pattern of dark blotches on lighter.
• Body form: moderately slender to very stout, with distinct head and fairly shorter tail; pupils usually elliptical; single pair of hollow fangs on very short maxilla can be rotated to bring fangs forwards to bite; venom usually tissue- destructive.
CITES Listed
App. I • Vipera ursinii
App. II •Vipera wagneri
App. III (Honduras) •Crotalus durissus
•App. III (India) •Daboia russelii