| Southern rubber boa | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Boidae |
| Genus: | Charina |
| Species: | C. umbratica |
| Binomial name | |
| Charina umbratica Klauber, 1943 | |
 | |
| Southern rubber boa range [3] | |
| Synonyms [4] | |
| |
Charina umbratica, known commonly as the southern rubber boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. [1] [4] [5] [6] The species is endemic to the United States, in southern California. [1]
The southern rubber boa, also known as Charina umbratica, has been proposed as an independent species because of its morphological and geographic differences. A study published in 2001 concluded that Charina umbratica is separated from its subclade. [7] This means that the southern rubber boa and its subclades have allopatric distributions. [7] All evidence gathered from the mitochondrial DNA study points to consider Charina umbratic as a distinct species. [7] Despite the distinction of the two subclades, a more recent study suggests that grounds for distinction of clades may be invalid as range movements may not be as thoroughly studied and contextualized as previously considered. [8]
As of April 2017, the southern rubber boa was listed as a state threatened species in the California Natural Diversity Database. [9]
The southern rubber boa is a small snake with a blunt tail. Due to its secretive nature, it makes it very difficult to collect these snakes for data. However, a five-year study done in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California [10] has been able to provide information on this reptile. The study was published in the Journal of Herpetology, and concluded that the female boas' length and weight out-performed the male boas. [10] In addition, adult female boas were found to have greater percentages of tail tip scarring and tail shortening when compared to males. Furthermore, this study also explored the weight loss that happens during gestation for female boas and determined that female boas lose 47% of their weight during gestation. [10]
The southern rubber boa is known to typically inhabit areas such woodlands and coniferous forests characterized by their developed soils and great vegetative productivity. These areas are typically moist and may contain accumulated organic debris that are largely-responsible for the moisture levels of inhabited sites. The southern rubber boa makes use of outcrops, loose and developed soils, as well as tree-debris to burrow and seek refuge. [11] [8]
The southern rubber boa is distributed across the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles in southern California, at elevations between 4,900 and 7,900 feet. Phylogenetic analyses have conclusively distinguished northern and southern boas and identified an area in Northeastern California containing populations of both subspecies. [7] Some intergrades between northern and southern boas have been located in isolated populations in the Southern Los Padres Ranges. [7] [8]
A five-year study done in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California analyzed the diet and behavior of the southern rubber boa. This study discussed the behavior of the southern rubber boa and its distinct tendency to eat lizard eggs, rather than the lizards themselves. [12] The behavior exhibited from the southern rubber boa to eat the lizard eggs and not the lizard, is what separates the southern rubber boa from other rubber boas. In like manner, this study also found that female boa injuries are primarily received through other animals protecting their young from boa predation. [12]
Boas are ovoviviparous – they produce between two and eight young snakes where eggs are hatched within the parent. In April, female boas typically emerge from hibernation under reproductive conditions; mating occurs immediately and persists through May. They give birth between late summer and throughout autumn with a greater majority of young birthed between late August through September. [10] [11]
Known predators of the southern rubber boa include kingsnakes (Lampropeltis sp.) and California striped racer (Masticophis lateralis). Other local reptilian predators presumed to prey on the southern rubber boa include ring-necked snakes (Diadophis punctatus) and night snakes (Hypsiglena torquata). [12]
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 of South America being the heaviest and second-longest snake known; in general, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Six subfamilies comprising 15 genera and 54 species are currently recognized.
The desert rosy boa is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The desert rosy boa is native to the American Southwest and Baja California and Sonora in Mexico. The desert rosy boa is one of four species in the boa family native to the continental United States, the other three being the coastal rosy boa and the two species of rubber boas (Charina).
The Calabar python is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to West and Central Africa. It is the only species in its genus.
The rubber boa is a species of snake in the family Boidae and is native to western North America. It is sometimes known as the coastal rubber boa or the northern rubber boa and is not to be confused with the southern rubber boa.
Charina is a genus of nonvenomous boas, commonly known as rubber boas, found in North America. Two species are currently recognized.
Chilabothrus fordii, also known commonly as Ford's boa and the Haitian ground boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. There are three recognized subspecies.
Eryx jayakari, known commonly as the Arabian sand boa or Jayakar's sand boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran where it spends the day buried in the sand.
The boa constrictor, also known as 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 Boidae. The species is native to tropical South America. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Four subspecies are recognized. This article focuses on the species Boa constrictor as a whole, and on the nominate subspecies B. c. constrictor.
Wyoming is home to 12 amphibian species and 22 species of reptiles.
There are 14 species of amphibians and 5 species of reptiles known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park.
David G. Barker is an American herpetologist specialized in pythons and rattlesnakes.
The Booidea, also known as booid snakes, are a superfamily of snakes that contains boas and other closely related boa-like snakes. As of 2017, Booidea contains 61 species, including the eponymous neotropical Boa constrictor, anacondas, and smaller tree and rainbow boas as well as several genera of booid snakes from various locations around the world: bevel-nosed boas or keel-scaled boas (Candoia) from New Guinea and Melanesia, Old World sand boas (Eryx) from Northeast Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, rubber boas (Charina) and rosy boas (Lichanura) from North America, neotropical dwarf boas (Ungaliophis) and the Oaxacan dwarf boa (Exiliboa) from Central America, Madagascan boas or Malagasy boas from Madagascar, and the Calabar python (Calabaria) from tropical West-Central Africa.
Lichanura orcutti, also known as the rosy boa, the coastal rosy boa, or the northern three-lined boa, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. This species is found North of the US–Mexico border within San Diego County in California and along the coastal Peninsular Ranges, northward into the Mojave Desert and eastward in the Sonoran Desert of California and Arizona. Lichanura orcutti is one of four boa species native to the continental United States, the other three being the desert rosy boa, and the two species of rubber boas (Charina).
