Boiga irregularis

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Reptile . Native to eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, as well as the northern and eastern coasts of Australia, the brown snake is notorious for concealing itself in international freight and aircraft. It is nocturnal , secretive and arboreal , hunting for food at all levels within a forest . The brown treesnake has altered the terrestrial ecology and disrupted the electrical supply of Guam.

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Colubridae

The family Colubridae, which includes the kingsnakes (Lampropeltis spp. ), is the largest, most widespread, and diverse family of snakes , with few physical characteristics universal among all species. The family contains 70 percent of the known species of snakes, with more than 1700 species worldwide (Pough et al. 1998). Although some colubrids are dangerously venomous , most are harmless to humans. [1]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,114 meters (0 to 6,936 feet).[2]

Ecology: An effective generalised predator , it decimated the Guamanian avifauna, greatly impacted other terrestrial vertebrates , and caused cascading ecological perturbations. Likely to similarly destabilise ecosystems if established elsewhere. It is a human nuisance and an agricultural pest.

Biology

Reproduction

Sexual. Lays eggs . In appropriate habitats may reproduce year-round, but in temperate environments activity and reproduction are likely to be seasonal.In native range , clutch size may exceed 10, but on Guam appears to be closer to 5. Number of clutches per year is unknown. Females may be able to store live sperm for several months (or years?).

Incubation may last about 3 months. B . irregularis (especially juveniles?) can be highly mobile , and stowaways on planes and boats are mostly juveniles . Movement rates may be increased when prey are scarce. Dispersal is probably greatly human-aided on all scales .

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Boiga Flavescens • Boiga irregularis - Cogger 1983: 209 • Boiga irregularis — Cogger 2000: 618 • Coluber irregularis Merrem in Bechstein 1802: 239 • Dendrophis fusca Gray 1842: 54 • Dendrophis< /i> (Ahetula) Fusca Gray 1842: 54 • Dipsadomorphus irregularis Werner 1899: 374 • Dipsas boydii Macleay 1884: 548 • Dipsas irregularis Fischer 1884: 49 • Dipsas ornata Macleay 1888: 416 • Hurria pseudoboiga DAUDIN 1803: 277< /i> (Nomen Nov. Pro Coluber Irregularis) • Pappophis flavigastra Macleay 1877: 40 • Pappophis laticeps Macleay 1877: 39 • Triglyphodon flavescens DumÉril Bibron & DumÉril 1854: 1080 • Triglyphodon irregulare DumÉril Bibron & DumÉril 1854: 1074

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: Holotype: presumed lost fide COGGER 1983. Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.1.28, from Port Essington, N. T. [Dendrophis (Ahetula) fusca] Syntypes: AM R31888-91, from Hall Sound , Papua New Guinea [Pappophis laticeps] Holotype: AM R31887, from Mawatta, Binaturi River (as Katow), Papua New Guinea [Pappophis flavigastra] Holotype: AM R31892, from "collection from J. A. Boyd of Ripple Creek , Ingham, in northern Qld. [Dipsas boydii] Holotype: AM R31893, from "vicinity of King's Sound", W. A. [Dipsas ornata] Venomous! Synonymy mainly after COGGER 1983. This snake is famous for its disastrous role on the native fauna of Guam (see info links below for details).

Similar Species

Members of the genus Boiga

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 29 species and subspecies in this genus:

B. angulata (Philippine Blunt-Headed Tree Snake) · B. beddomei (Beddome's Cat Snake) · B. blandingii (Blanding's Cat Snake) · B. bourreti (Bourret's Cat Snake) · B. ceylonensis (Sri Lanka Cat Snake) · B. cyanea (Green Cat Snake) · B. cynodon (Dog-Toothed Cat Snake) · B. dendrophila (Mangrove Catsnake) · B. dendrophila dendrophila (Gold-Ringed Cat Snake) · B. dightoni (Pirmad Cat Snake) · B. drapiezii (White-Spotted Cat Snake) · B. forsteni (Forsten's Cat Snake) · B. gokool (Arrowback Tree Snake) · B. irregularis (Brown Tree Snake) · B. jaspidea (Jasper Cat Snake) · B. kraepelini (Kelung Cat Snake) · B. multifasciata (Many-Banded Cat Snake) · B. multomaculata (Vielflecken-Nachtbaumnatter) · B. nigriceps (Black-Headed Cat Snake) · B. ocellata (Gray Cat Snake) · B. ochracea (Tawny Cat Snake) · B. philippina (Philippine Cat Snake) · B. pulverulenta (Fischer's Cat Snake) · B. saengsomi (Banded Cat Snake) · B. schultzei (Schultz' Blunt-Headed Tree Snake) · B. siamensis (Eyed Cat Snake) · B. tanahjampeana (Tanahjampea Cat Snake) · B. trigonata (Common Cat Snake) · B. wallachi (Nicobar Cat Snake)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A contribution to the zoögeography of the East Indian islands / 1912 Cambridge, U.S.A.: printed for the Museum, 1912. url p. 126, p. 199, p. 37, p. 39, p. 41, p. 45, p. 54, p. 58.
• Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Natural History) by George Albert Boulenger. London, Trustees of the B.M., 1893-96. url p. 75.
• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: url p. 691.
• IUCN Directory of Protected Areas in Oceania IUCN url p. 303, p. 311, p. 312, p. 314, p. 318, p. 322, p. 436.
• Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems / [edited by], Edward T. LaRoe. .. [et al.]. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. url p. 433, p. 436, p. 456, p. 487, p. 488, p. 512, p. 526.
• Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia url p. 264.
• Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Washington, Biological Society of Washington url p. 307.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, 1979- url p. 193, p. 194, p. 196, p. 198, p. 199, p. 200, p. 201, p. 202, p. 203, p. 204, p. 206.
• Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. Sydney, Linnean Society of New South Wales. url p. 88.
• Proceedings of the New England Zoo?logical Club. [Cambridge, Mass.]: The Club, 1899- url , p. 110, p. 110, p. 119.
• Protected Areas of the World: a review of National Systems. Vol 1: Indomalaya, Oceania, Australia and Antarctic IUCN url p. 258.
• Protected Landscapes: experience around the world. Prepared for the International Symposium on Protected Landscapes, Grange-over-Sands, England 5-10 October 1987 IUCN url p. 379.
• Smithsonian year. 1965 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1965-1976. url p. 188.
• Smithsonian year: annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year ended Sept. 30. .. 1998 City of Washington: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1980-2001. url illustration , national zoological park , p. 44.
• The Bulletin of zoological nomenclature. London, International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature. url p. 271.
• The Cost of Policy Inaction: The case of not meeting the 2010 biodiversity target European Commission url p. 163, p. 298.
• The Great Basin naturalist. 11 1951 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 119, p. 29, p. 66, p. 80.
• The University of Kansas science bulletin. 48 1969 [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. url p. 272.
• The palatal dentition in squamate reptiles: morphology, development, attachment, and replacement / D. Luke Mahler, Maureen Kearney. 108 2006 Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, c2006. url p. 31.
• The reptiles of the Indo-Australian archipelago / by Nelly de Rooij. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1915-1917. url p. 201, p. 201, p. 201, p. 318, p. 318, p. 318.
• World Atlas of Biodiversity: earth's living resources in the 21st century UNEP-WCMC url p. 330, p. 64.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed February 1, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• ISSG Global Invasive Species Database (http://www.issg.org/database)
• National Invasive Species Information Center, National Agricultural Library, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Site. Accessed May 3, 2008.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• TIGR Reptile Database . Release date: October 2, 2007
• Uetz, Peter. The Reptile Database

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Herpetology Collection - Reptile Database
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Yale University Peabody Museum: Peabody Herp Collection DiGIR provider Service

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2536969
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Rep-1091
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13296442
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 174206
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 17539

Footnotes

1. Painter, Charles W., Chuck L. Hayes, and James N. Stuart "Recovery and Conservation of the Gray-Banded Kingsnake. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. May 1, 2002. [back]
2. Mean = 508.500 meters (1,668.307 feet), Standard Deviation = 802.940 based on 6 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.