Eunectes beniensis
| Eunectes beniensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Boidae |
| Subfamily: | Boinae |
| Genus: | Eunectes |
| Species: | E. beniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Eunectes beniensis Dirksen, 2002 | |
- Common names: Bolivian anaconda, Beni anaconda
Eunectes beniensis is a nonvenomous boa species found in northeastern parts Beni Province of Bolivia, It is endemic to Bolivia. The largest specimen founded was a 4.2 m female. It is known to use aquatic situations in open habitats.
Taxonomy
The four-metre long Eunectes beniensis was initially believed to be the result of hybridization between green and yellow anacondas, but was later determined to be a distinct species. The taxonomic status is not clear, due to less information and the appearance similarity to Eunectes notaeus. Based on morphological and molecular genetic evidence, Eunectes beniensis is closer related to Eunectes notaeus and Eunectes deschauenseei than to Eunectes murinus.
Appearance
Bolivian anaconda is easily recognizable by its brown to olive-brownish ground color in combination with five head stripes and less than 100 large dark, solid dorsal blotches which always lack lighter centers.
Habitat
Usually aquatic muddy swampy flooded areas.
See also
- List of boine species and subspecies
- Boinae by common name
- Boinae by taxonomic synonyms
References
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/174126/0
- Dirksen, Lutz 2002. Anakondas. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 190 pp.
- Dirksen, Lutz, and Wolfgang Böhme 2005. Studies on anacondas III. A reappraisal of Eunectes beniensis Dirksen, 2002, from Bolivia, and a key to the species of the genus Eunectes Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes: Boidae). Russian Journal of Herpetology 12 (3): 223-229.
- Reed, R.N. and G.H. Rodda 2009. Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor. U.S. Geological Survey, xviii + 323 pp.
- Anonymous (1963), «Hybrid anacondas», Anim. Kingdom, 66, 31.
- Dirksen L. (1995), Zur Reptilienfauna Boliviens unter spezieller Berücksichtigung taxonomischer und zoogeographischer Aspekte. MSc Thesis, Univ. of Bonn, Bonn.
- Dirksen L. (2000), Monographische Revision der Gattung Eunectes Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes, Boidae). PhD Thesis, Univ. of Bonn, Bonn.
Further reading
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