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Ecuadorian Annulated Tree-Boa (Corallus blombergi)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Boidae | Corallus blombergi
English common names: Ecuadorian Annulated Tree-Boa, Blomberg’s Tree-Boa.
Spanish common names: Boa anillada del Chocó, boa de Blomberg.
Recognition: ♂♂ 143 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. ♀♀ 191 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail..1,2 Corallus blombergi is a medium-sized boid with a triangular head, a dark vertical elliptical pupil, and a reddish iris.1,2 The snout is elongated and bears heat-sensitive pits along the lips.2,3 The dorsal coloration is light brown to bright orange with irregular markings 7–8 scales wide that are lighter in the center (Fig. 1).1,3 Individuals that are light grayish brown with reddish spots at night can turn almost entirely orange during the day.4 This species differs from Boa imperator by having prominent heat-sensing labial pits.3
Figure 1: Individuals of Corallus blombergi from Canandé Biological Reserve, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador.
Natural history: Corallus blombergi is an uncommon snake that inhabits the upper canopy of pristine or selectively logged lowland rainforests.1–3 These boas use vegetation 1.6–10 m above the ground, particularly along rivers,2–5 but also occupy wood cabins and other man-made structures in the forest.4 They exhibit greater activity on moonless nights between sunset and midnight, and particularly after heavy rains.2,4,6 Both active foraging and ambush strategies are used to capture prey, including bats, rodents, and birds.2,3,7 In captive conditions, mating was recorded in March and April, with copulation lasting between 3 and 7 days.2 After a gestation period of 5–7 months, females “give birth” (the eggs hatch within the mother) to 13–14 young with average total length of 41.3 cm.2
Conservation: Endangered Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..8 Corallus blombergi is listed in this category because, at the time of the assessment, the species was known only from two surviving populations.8 Although the species is more widely distributed than previously thought, it is estimated that approximately 70% of the species’ habitat in Ecuador has already been destroyed.9 Unlike other snakes, tree-boas cannot survive in areas devoid of trees nor in planted forests or African palm-oil plantations.4
Distribution: Corallus blombergi is native to the Chocoan lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Corallus blombergi in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Corallus comes from the old French word coral, which was the name given to dangerous savage and barbaric peoples in ancient times.10,11 This term refers to the fierce and perfidious appearance of tree boas, among which the anterior teeth of the maxilla and mandible stand out.11 The specific epithet blombergi honors Swedish explorer Rolf Blomberg (1912–1996), who collected the holotype.12
See it in the wild: In Ecuador, individuals of Corallus blombergi are recorded no more than once every few months at any given locality. The area having the greatest number of recent observations is Canandé Biological Reserve.
Special thanks to Jamie Stevener for symbolically adopting the Ecuadorian Annulated Tree-Boa and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
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Authors: Danna Duque-Torres,aAffiliation: Grupo de Ornitología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. Andrés F. Aponte-Gutiérrez,bAffiliation: Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias de la Orinoquía, Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Orinoquía, Arauca, Colombia.,cAffiliation: Fundación Biodiversa Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. and Tatiana Molina-MorenodAffiliation: Departamento de Biología, Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Editor: Alejandro ArteagaeAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.
Photographer: Jose VieirafAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,gAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Duque-Torres D, Aponte-Gutiérrez A, Molina-Moreno T (2024) Ecuadorian Annulated Tree-Boa (Corallus blombergi). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/JYJJ5074
Literature cited:
- Pinto-Erazo MA, Medina-Rangel GF (2018) First record of Corallus blombergi (Rendahl & Vestergren, 1941) (Serpentes, Boidae) from Colombia. Check List 14: 183–188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/14.1.183
- Valencia JH, Garzón K, Arbeláez E (2007) Notes on Corallus blombergi (Rendahl & Vestergren, 1941) from Ecuador. Herpetozoa 21: 91–94. DOI: 10.15560/14.1.183
- Henderson RW, Höggren M, Lamar WW, Porras LW (2010) Distribution and variation in the treeboa Corallus annulatus (Serpentes: Boidae). Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 36: 39–47. DOI: 10.1076/snfe.36.1.39.8883
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Barrio-Amorós CL (2017) Field observations on Neotropical Treeboas of the Genus Corallus (Squamata: Boidae). Reptiles & Amphibians: Conservation and Natural History 1: 1–16.
- Cruz-García K, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Amador L (2020) New records of four reptile species (Lepidosauria, Squamata) from the province of Guayas, southwestern Ecuador. Check List 16: 765–772. DOI: 10.15560/16.3.1765
- Henderson RW, Pauers MJ (2012) On the diets of Neotropical treeboas (Squamata: Boidae) Corallus. South American Journal of Herpetology 7: 172–180. DOI: 10.2994/057.007.0207
- Cisneros-Heredia DF (2016) Corallus blombergi. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T44580012A44580021.en
- MAE (2012) Línea base de deforestación del Ecuador continental. Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Quito, 30 pp.
- Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.
- Daudin FM (1803) Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des reptiles. De l’Imprimerie de F. Dufart, Paris, 365 pp.
- Uetz P, Freed P, Hošek J (2021) The reptile database. Available from: www.reptile-database.org.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Corallus blombergi in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Nariño | Tumaco, 11 km SW of | Pinto-Erazo & Medina-Rangel 2018 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Vereda Cajapí | Pinto-Erazo & Medina-Rangel 2018 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Bosque Protector Molleturo | Valencia et al. 2007 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | Flor y Selva | Valencia et al. 2007 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | 30 de Octubre, 7 km SW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Angostura | Morales-Mite 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bamba | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Canandé Biological Reserve | This work, Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Chispero | Morales-Mite 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cotacachi Cayapas | Cruz-García et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Durango, 3 km SW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Escuela Horacio Hidrovo Velasquez | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Gualpi | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Gualpí | Morales-Mite 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hoja Blanca, 11 km SE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hoja Blanca, 12 km E of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Norte de Borbón | Cruz-García et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pajonal | Morales-Mite 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pambilar, 4 km SW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Rancho Texas | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva FCAT | Photo by Luis Carrasco |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Cube | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Hoja Blanca | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Muisne | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Salto Bravo | Valencia et al. 2007 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San Mateo, 12 km E of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tabiazo | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Terminal Marítimo OCP | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tongorachi | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tundaloma Lodge | Barrio-Amorós 2017 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Unión Manabita, 4 km E of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Valle del Sade, 3 km SE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Verdecanandé | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Cerro de Hayas | Cruz-García et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | San Pedro | Henderson et al. 2001 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Quevedo, environs of | Henderson et al. 2001 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Zapote | Cruz-García et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Golondrinas, 20 km NE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hostería Selva Virgen | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Las Orquídeas, 3 km SE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Rancho Suamox | Photo by Rafael Ferro |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Vía a Nueva Unión | iNaturalist; photo examined |