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