''Boa'' is a genus of non-venomous boas found in Mexico, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...

, and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and South America. Five

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

are currently recognized.

Etymology

The Online Etymology Dictionary says that the word comes from the "late 14c., "large snake," from Latin boa, type of large serpent mentioned in

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

's "Natural History;" origin unknown (in medieval folk etymology the name was associated with Greek bous "ox")."

Species

Boa is a polytypic genus and so contains more than one species. The

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

has been reported to grow to a maximum of 14 feet (4.3 m) in length.Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . Numerous subspecies are currently recognised. A now extinct species, the Marie-Galante boa (''

Boa blanchardensis ''Boa blanchardensis'', also known as the Marie-Galante boa, is an extinct species of ''Boa'' from the island of Marie Galante in the Lesser Antilles. It lived on the island during the Late Pleistocene until approximately 15.000 years ago when it ...

''), lived during the Pleistocene on Marie Galante in the Lesser Antilles.

Distribution and habitat

''Boa'' species are found in northern Mexico through

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. C ...

(

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) to South America north of 35°S ( Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Uruguay and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

). One species is present in the Lesser Antilles ( Dominica and

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

), on San Andrés, Providencia and many other islands along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Central and South America.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'', vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume).

Taxonomy

Kluge (1991) moved the genera ''Sanzinia'' and ''Acrantophis'' into ''Boa'', based on a phylogeny derived from morphological characters.Kluge AG. 1991. Boine Snake Phylogeny and Research Cycles. Misc. Pub. Museum of Zoology, Univ. of Michigan No. 178. 58 pp. However, it has since been shown that the Malagasy boids and ''Boa constrictor'' do not form a monophyletic group, and the lumping of ''Sanzinia'', ''Acrantophis'' and ''Boa'' was, therefore, an error. These snakes are therefore correctly represented in their own genera: ''

Sanzinia ''Sanzinia'' is a genus of snakes in the family Boidae The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include so ...

'' and ''

Acrantophis ''Acrantophis'' is a genus of terrestrial boid snakes endemic to the island of Madagascar. Species Two species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as ...

''. To add further to the naming confusion, many species of snake in the family

Boidae The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda ...

are known colloquially as "boas". Also, more than a few subspecies of ''B. constrictor'' are recognized, several of which have distinct common names.

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q492841 Snake genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus