BOIDAE, J.E.Gray, 1825

Krysko, Kenneth L., Burgess, Joseph P., Rochford, Michael R., Gillette, Christopher R., Cueva, Daniel, Enge, Kevin M., Somma, Louis A., Stabile, Jennifer L., Smith, Dustin C., Wasilewski, Joseph A., Kieckhefer Iii, Guy N., Granatosky, Michael C. & Nielsen, Stuart V., 2011, 3028, Zootaxa 3028, pp. 1-64 : 48-50

BOIDAE

The Argentine Boa Constrictor , Boa constrictor occidentalis Philippi 1873 , is indigenous to Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Bolivia ( McDiarmid et al. 1999; Savage 2002). On 7 December 2009, Christopher A. Vandello collected an adult (2480 mm SVL, 2696 mm TL, 9.83 kg) female B. c. occidentalis (UF 157190; MorphoBank M88661 ; Fig. 71) along rail road tracks, 0.43 km north of SE Walton Road, adjacent to Savannas Preserve State Park, Jensen Beach, St. Lucie County (27.30222 o N, - 80.25858 o W). During necropsy, R.N. Reed (personal communication) observed corpora lutea and thickened oviducts, suggesting that this individual had reproduced recently, either in the wild or captivity. This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from an enclosure. This represents the first known voucher for this subspecies in Florida.

The Rainbow Boa , Epicrates cenchria ( Linnaeus 1758) , is indigenous to a widespread region of the Amazon Basin of South America, with a disjunct population in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil ( Passos & Fernandes 2009), and it has been introduced to non-indigenous regions of Brazil and Chile ( Eterovic & Duarte 2002; Kraus 2009). During the summer of 1997, KLK collected an adult (1045 mm SVL) E. cenchria (UF 123128; MorphoBank M88662 ; Fig. 72) at 2000 SW 16 th Street, Gainesville, Alachua County (29.63401 o N, - 82.34339 o W), which was kept in captivity by Matt Burgess until it died ca. two months later. On 2 April 2008, Brian Bahder collected a juvenile (ca. 450 mm TL) E. cenchria just outside the property of the animal importer's facility at 6450 Stirling Road, Hollywood, Broward County (26.04591 o N, - 80.21976 o W). On 12 July 2008, Marlyn Stone killed and photographed an adult (1370 mm TL) E. cenchria (photographic voucher UF 153464) after it was found coiled around a 10 month old domestic kitten at 7166 County Road 647, Bushnell, Sumter County (28.65193 o N, - 82.25576 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures. These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The Green Anaconda, Eunectes murinus ( Linnaeus 1758) , is widely distributed in South America, including most tropical, lowland habitats east of the Andes mountain range ( Rivas et al. 2007). On 8 December 2004, Lisa Andrews collected a juvenile (2110 mm SVL, 2420 mm TL) male E. murinus (UF 143935; MorphoBank M88663 ; Fig. 73) DOR on US Highway 41, 14.48 km west of State Road 29, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Collier County (25.93532 o N, - 81.45312 o W). On 13 January 2010, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office collected an adult (3650 mm TL) E. murinus (photographic vouchers UF 157189) at East Lake Fish Camp, 3705 Big Bass Road, Kissimmee, Osceola County (28.32844 o N, - 81.29282 o W). This snake sought refuge inside a culvert leading to a pond, and it was believed to be the perpetrator in the disappearance of many non-indigenous Muscovy Ducks ( Cairina moschata ) in the area. Anecdotes exist for more E. murinus sighted in the Everglades region, but these are not supported by vouchers (see Reed & Rodda 2009). As with E. notaeus below, we are concerned that the Fakahatchee Strand individual might represent the first sign of an established, cryptic, aquatic species, especially in the remote and vast Everglades. This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures. These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The Yellow Anaconda, Eunectes notaeus Cope 1862c , is indigenous to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina ( McDiarmid et al. 1999; Waller et al. 2007). On 30 January 2007, a Florida Division of Forestry employee collected an adult male (2060 mm SVL, 5.06 kg mass) E. notaeus (BICY 530, UF 152688; MorphoBank M88664 ; Fig. 74) basking on the road shoulder on State Road 94, 8.05 km south of US Highway 41, Sweetwater Slough, Big Cypress National Preserve, Monroe County (25.78849 o N, - 81.09992 o W). On 23 January 2008, Michael W. Swann photographed an E. notaeus (photographic voucher UF 151160) basking on a canal bank on State Road 29, 0.55 km north of I-75, Big Cypress National Preserve, Collier County (26.15999 o N, - 81.34499 o W). There are anecdotes of other E. notaeus being collected close to the Palm Beach County line and sold to a pet dealer/breeder, but no voucher exists (see Snow [personal communication] in Reed and Rodda 2009). As with E. murinus above, we are concerned that these Big Cypress individuals might represent the first signs of an established, cryptic, aquatic species, especially in the remote and vast Everglades. This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures. These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The Egyptian Sand Boa , Gongylophis colubrinus ( Linnaeus 1758) , is indigenous to xeric regions of sub-Saharan central and eastern Africa ( McDiarmid et al. 1999; Spawls et al. 2002). On 14 August 2007, Midge Jolly collected a G. colubrinus (photographic voucher UF 151512; MorphoBank M88665 ; Fig. 75) from inside a washing machine at a private residence on the western end of Watson Boulevard, Big Pine Key, Monroe County (24.69077 o N, - 81.37385 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from an enclosure. This represents the first known voucher for this species in Florida.

The West African Sand Boa , Gongylophis muelleri Boulenger 1892 , is indigenous to Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa, from Sierra Leon, Mauritania and Senegal, eastward through Chad and western Sudan ( McDiarmid et al. 1999). On 23 February 2009, an unknown resident found an adult (560 mm TL) female G. muelleri (photographic voucher UF 155335; MorphoBank M88666 ; Fig. 76) that was killed by a domestic cat on Poinciana Road, 0.04 km west of Avenue B, Big Pine Key, Monroe County (24.68746 o N, - 81.35849 o W). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from an enclosure. This represents the first known voucher for this species in Florida.