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Boidae

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Paleryx sp.

Mücheln, Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Paleryx sp.

Mücheln, Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Paleryx sp.

Mücheln, Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Description

The Boidae (Common names: boas, boids) are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, although also existing in Africa, Madagascar, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Relatively primitive snakes, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Five subfamilies, comprising 12 genera and 49 species, are currently recognized.

From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boidae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Source Data

Source	ID	Link
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)	2464897	https://www.gbif.org/species/2464897
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)	38086	https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=38086

Rank

family

Taxonomy (GBIF,PBDB)

Life : Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Squamata : Boidae

Taxonomic Status (GBIF)

accepted

Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)

Rank	Name	Author
-	Eukaryota
-	Opisthokonta	Cavalier-Smith 1987
kingdom	Animalia
-	Triploblastica	Lankester 1877
-	Nephrozoa	Jondelius et al. 2002
-	Deuterostomia	Grobben 1908
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1847
subphylum	Vertebrata	Lamarck 1801
superclass	Gnathostomata	Gegenbauer 1874
-	Osteichthyes
-	Sarcopterygii	Romer 1955
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha
-	Tetrapoda
-	Reptiliomorpha	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Anthracosauria	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Batrachosauria
-	Cotylosauria
-	Amniota	Haeckel 1866
-	Sauropsida	Huxley 1864
class	Reptilia	Laurenti 1768
subclass	Eureptilia
-	Romeriida	Gauthier et al. 1988
-	Diapsida
-	Eosuchia
-	Neodiapsida	Benton 1985
-	Sauria	Gauthier 1984
-	Lepidosauromorpha
superorder	Lepidosauria
order	Squamata	Oppel 1811
suborder	Ophidia
-	Serpentes
infraorder	Alethinophidia	Nopcsa 1923
-	Macrostomata	Ritgen 1828
superfamily	Booidea	Gray 1825
family	Boidae	Gray 1825

Common Name

boa

Scientific Name

Boidae

Opinions (PBDB)

Name	Rank	Opinion	Evidence	Author
Boidae	family	belongs to Peropoda	stated with evidence	Cope, 1871
Boidae	family	belongs to Ophidia	stated with evidence	Zittel, 1890
Boidae	family	belongs to Serpentes	stated without evidence	Hay, 1902
Boidae	family	belongs to Ophidia	stated without evidence	Andrews, 1906
Boidae	family	belongs to Boaeformia	stated with evidence	Kuhn, 1946
Boidae	family	belongs to Serpentes	stated without evidence	McGrew et al., 1959
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated with evidence	Kuhn, 1966
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated without evidence	Estes and Berberian, 1970
Boidae	family	belongs to Alethinophidia	implied	Szyndlar, 1987
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	implied	Carroll, 1988
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated without evidence	Holman and Case, 1988
Boidae	family	belongs to Serpentes	stated without evidence	Frank and Ramus, 1996
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated with evidence	Scanlon and Lee, 2000
Boidae	family	belongs to Henophidia	stated with evidence	Vidal and Hedges, 2002
Boidae	family	belongs to Alethinophidia	implied	Augé and Rage, 2006
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated with evidence	Albino and Carlini, 2008
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	stated without evidence	Rage et al., 2008
Boidae	family	belongs to Booidea	implied	Smith, 2013

Status (PBDB)

extant

Taxon Size (PBDB)

100

Extant Size (PBDB)

17 (17%)

First Recorded Appearance

72.1 - 66.0 Ma
Late/Upper Cretaceous

Environment

freshwater,terrestrial

Motility

actively mobile (based on Osteichthyes)

Diet

carnivore

Taphonomy

phosphatic (based on Vertebrata)

Primary Reference (PBDB)

J. E. Gray. 1825. A synopsis of the genera of Reptilia and Amphibia. Annals of Philosophy, n. s., London 10:193-217

Common Name(s)

Boas, Boids, Boa, True Boas

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boidae

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

Name	Status	Common Name(s)	Fossil Occurrences	Oldest	Youngest
Boinae subfamily	listed (PBDB)		93	61.7 Ma Paleocene	0 Ma Extant
Tropidophiinae subfamily	listed (PBDB)		14	33.9 Ma Oligocene	0 Ma Extant
Ungaliophiinae subfamily	listed (PBDB)	Dwarf Boa	41	58.7 Ma Paleocene	0 Ma Extant
Acrantophis genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	Boa	1	0.01 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant
Albaneryx ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		3	16.0 Ma Miocene	11.1 Ma Miocene
Anilioides ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		6	30.8 Ma Oligocene	20.4 Ma Miocene
Australiasis genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Bavarioboa genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		22	33.9 Ma Oligocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Boa genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Boavus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		18	55.8 Ma Eocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Bransateryx ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		13	33.9 Ma Oligocene	11.6 Ma Miocene
Broghammerus genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Cadurceryx ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		8	41.3 Ma Eocene	37.2 Ma Eocene
Cadurcoboa ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	47.8 Ma Eocene	38.0 Ma Eocene
Calabaria genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Calamagras ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		39	56.0 Ma Paleocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Candoia genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Charina genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		16	20.4 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Cheilophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		5	59.2 Ma Paleocene	33.9 Ma Oligocene
Chilabothrus genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Chubutophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	48.6 Ma Eocene	48.6 Ma Eocene
Corallus genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	58.7 Ma Paleocene	0 Ma Extant
Daunophis ✝ genus	doubtful (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	5.33 Ma Miocene	5.33 Ma Miocene
Dawsonophis ✝ genus	doubtful (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	46.2 Ma Eocene	46.2 Ma Eocene
Epicrates genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	Rainbow Boa	4	11.6 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Eryx genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	True Sand Boa	33	23.0 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Eunectes genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	Anaconda	4	16.3 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Exiliboa genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)				0 Ma Extant
Gaimanophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	21.0 Ma Miocene	21.0 Ma Miocene
Geringophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		9	33.9 Ma Oligocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Gigantophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	41.3 Ma Eocene	38.0 Ma Eocene
Gongylophis genus	listed (PBDB)				0 Ma Extant
Hechtophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	58.7 Ma Paleocene	58.7 Ma Paleocene
Hordleophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	37.2 Ma Eocene	37.2 Ma Eocene
Huberophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	38.0 Ma Eocene	38.0 Ma Eocene
Katrinus genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Lichanura genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	50.3 Ma Eocene	0 Ma Extant
Lithophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	50.3 Ma Eocene	50.3 Ma Eocene
Messelophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	48.6 Ma Eocene	48.6 Ma Eocene
Neurodromicus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	33.9 Ma Oligocene	33.9 Ma Oligocene
Ogmophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		22	46.2 Ma Eocene	13.6 Ma Miocene
Palaeopython ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		26	56.0 Ma Paleocene	37.2 Ma Eocene
Paleryx ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		9	56.0 Ma Paleocene	37.2 Ma Eocene
Paraplatyspondylia ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	37.2 Ma Eocene	37.2 Ma Eocene
Paraungaliophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	58.7 Ma Paleocene	58.7 Ma Paleocene
Patagoniophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		3	83.6 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous	56.0 Ma Paleocene
Plesiotortrix ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	56.0 Ma Paleocene	56.0 Ma Paleocene
Pterygoboa ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		7	28.1 Ma Oligocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Rieppelophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	Snake	1	48.6 Ma Eocene	48.6 Ma Eocene
Rionegrophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	83.6 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous	83.5 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous
Rukwanyoka ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	28.4 Ma Oligocene	28.4 Ma Oligocene
Sanjuanophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	55.8 Ma Eocene	55.8 Ma Eocene
Sanzinia genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Tallahattaophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	47.8 Ma Eocene	47.8 Ma Eocene
Titanoboa ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	61.7 Ma Paleocene	61.7 Ma Paleocene
Totlandophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	37.2 Ma Eocene	33.3 Ma Oligocene
Tregophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	13.6 Ma Miocene	13.6 Ma Miocene
Ungaliophis genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)				0 Ma Extant
Waincophis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		10	58.7 Ma Paleocene	11.6 Ma Miocene

Obsolete Names

Name	Source	Taxon Rank	Taxonomy
Rageophis lafonti Wallach, 1986	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Squamata : Boidae : *Rageophis lafonti*
Boaeidae	GBIF	family	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Squamata : Boaeidae

Synonymy List

Year	Name and Author
1825	Erycinae Bonaparte
1825	Boidae Gray
1871	Boidae Cope p. 238
1875	Boidae Cope p. 22
1880	Scytalophis de Rochebrune
1890	Boaeidae Zittel p. 629
1890	Erycidae Zittel p. 630
1898	Boidae Gadow p. 28
1902	Boidae Hay p. 479
1906	Boidae Andrews p. 306
1946	Boidae Kuhn p. 62
1946	Erycinae Kuhn p. 62
1959	Boidae McGrew et al. p. 141
1959	Erycinae McGrew et al. p. 141
1966	Boidae Kuhn p. 62
1966	Erycinae Kuhn p. 63
1970	Boidae Estes and Berberian p. 6
1986	Rageophis Wallach
1986	Rageophis lafonti Wallach

Year	Name and Author
1987	Boidae Szyndlar p. 56
1987	Erycinae Szyndlar p. 56
1988	Boidae Carroll
1988	Boidae Holman and Case p. 329
1989	Erycinae Zerova p. 30
1995	Erycinae Parmley and Holman p. 80
1996	Boidae Frank and Ramus
1998	Erycinae Maddox and Wall p. 6
1999	Erycinae McDiarmid et al.
2000	Boidae Scanlon and Lee p. 417
2002	Boidae Vidal and Hedges p. 983
2002	Erycidae Vidal and Hedges p. 983
2006	Boidae Augé and Rage p. 247
2006	Erycinae Scanlon p. 839
2008	Boidae Albino and Carlini
2008	Boidae Rage et al. p. 394
2010	Erycinae Parmley and Hunter p. 527
2012	Erycinae Longrich et al.
2013	Boidae Smith p. 161

References

Gray J. E. A synopsis of the genera of Reptilia and Amphibia, Annals of Philosophy, n. s., London 10, 193-217

Cope E. D. On the homologies of some of the cranial bones of the Reptilia, and on the systematic arrangement of the class, Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 19, 194-247

Cope E. D. Check-list of North American Batrachia and Reptilia; with a systematic list of the higher groups, and an essay on geographical distribution. Based on the specimens contained in the U. S. National Museum, Bulletin of the United States National Museum 1, 1-109

Zittel K. A. v. , Handbuch der Palaeontologie. I. Abteilung Paleozoologie. III. Band. Vertebrata (Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves) [Handbook of Paleontology. Division I. Paleozoology. Volume III. Vertebrata (Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves)], xii-900

Gadow H. , A Classification of Vertebrata Recent and Extinct, xvii-82

Hay O. P. (1902) , Bibliography and Catalogue of the Fossil Vertebrata of North America. Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey 179, 1-868

Andrews C. W. (1906) , A Descriptive Catalogue of the Tertiary Vertebrata of Fayum, Egypt, 1-324

Kuhn O. (1946) Das System der fossilen und rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien [The system of fossil and recent amphibians and reptiles], Bericht der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Bamberg 29, 49-67

McGrew P. O., Berman J. E., et al (1959) The geology and paleontology of the Elk Mountain and Tabernacle Butte area, Wyoming, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 117 3, 117-176

Kuhn O. W. M. (1966) , Die Reptilien. System und Stammesgeschichte [The Reptiles. Systematics and Phylogeny.], 1-154

Estes R., Berberian P. (1970) Paleoecology of a Late Cretaceous vertebrate community from Montana, Breviora 343, 1-35

Szyndlar Z. (1987) Snakes from the Lower Miocene Locality of Dolnice (Czechoslovakia), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 7 1, 55-71

Carroll R. L. (1988) , Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, 1-698

Holman J. A., Case G. R. (1988) Reptiles from the Eocene Tallahatta Formation of Alabama, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 8 3, 328-333

Zerova G. A. (1989) Pervaya nakhodka iskopaemovo udavchika roda Albaneryx (Reptilia, Boidae) v SSSR. [The first find of a fossil sand boa of the genus Albaneryx (Serpentes, Boidae) in the USSR], Vestnik Zoologii 1989 5, 30-35

Parmley D., Holman J. A. (1995) Hemphillian (late Miocene) snakes from Nebraska, with comments on Arikareean through Blancan snakes of midcontinental North America, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15 1, 79-95

Frank N., Ramus E. (1996) A Complete Guide to Scientific and Common Names of Reptiles and Amphibians of the World, 1-377

Maddox D., Wall W. P. (1998) A systematic review of the fossil lizards and snakes (Squamata) from the White River Group of Badlands National Park, National Park Service Paleontological Research Vol. 3 Technical Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-98/1, 4-7

Scanlon J. D., Lee M. S. Y. (2000) The Pleistocene serpent Wonambi and the early evolution of snakes., Nature 403, 416-420

Vidal N., Hedges S. B. (2002) Higher-level relationships of snakes inferred from four nuclear and mitochondrial genes, Comptes Rendus Biologies 325 9, 977-985

Augé M., Rage J.-C. (2006) Herpetofaunas from the Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene of Morocco, Annales de Paléontologie 92 3, 235-253 doi:10.1016/j.annpal.2005.09.001

Scanlon J. D. (2006) Skull of the large non-macrostomatan snake Yurlunggur from the Australian Oligo-Miocene., Nature 439, 839-842

Albino A. M., Carlini A. A. (2008) First Record of Boa constrictor (Serpentes, Boidae) in the Quaternary of South America, Journal of Herpetology 42 1, 82-88

Rage J.-C., Folie A., et al (2008) A diverse snake fauna from the early Eocene of Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 53 3, 391-403

Parmley D., Hunter K. B. (2010) Fossil snakes of the Clarendonian (late Miocene) Pratt Slide local fauna of Nebraska, with the description of a new natricine colubrid, Journal of Herpetology 44 4, 526-543 doi:10.1670/09-248.1

Longrich N. R., Bhullar B.-A. S., et al (2012) A transitional snake from the Late Cretaceous period of North America, Nature 488, 205-208 doi:10.1038/nature11227

Smith K. T. (2013) New constraints on the evolution of the snake clades Ungaliophiinae, Loxocemidae and Colubridae (Serpentes), with comments on the fossil history of erycine boids in North America, Zoologischer Anzeiger 252 2, 157-182 doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2012.05.006

Flores-Villela, Oscar / McCoy, C. J., ed., 1993: Herpetofauna Mexicana: Lista anotada de las especies de anfibios y reptiles de México, cambios taxonómicos recientes, y nuevas especies. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication, no. 17. iv + 73. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

McDiarmid, Roy W., Jonathan A. Campbell, and T'Shaka A. Touré, 1999: null. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. xi + 511. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner, 1987: Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada. Resource Publication, no. 166. 79. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Pyron, R. Alexander, R. Graham Reynolds, and Frank T. Burbrink, 2014: A Taxonomic Revision of Boas (Serpentes: Boidae). Zootaxa, isssue 3846, no. 2. 249-260. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Benton, M.J. (ed). (1993). The Fossil Record 2. Chapman & Hall, London, 845 pp. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Parker, S.P. (ed). (1982). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. McGraw-Hill, New York. 2 volumes. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!

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