Biology of the Boas and Pythons

About this book

The product of a symposium (Biology of Boas, Pythons, and Related Taxa) held at the 2005 joint meetings in Tampa, Florida, and sponsored by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. This was the first attempt to bring together researchers actively working on some aspect of boa/python biology.

The symposium was a resounding success, and Biology of the Boas and Pythons represents a current assessment of our understanding of booid biology. Between the diversity of the peer-reviewed contributions and the literature reviews, this volume will become an essential reference for most future boa and python research.

Contents

Table of Contents:

Foreword. RICHARD SHINE

The Biology of Boas and Pythons: A Retrospective Look to the Future. ROBERT W. HENDERSON AND ROBERT POWELL

The Higher-level Relationships of Alethinophidian Snakes Inferred from Seven Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes. NICOLAS VIDAL, ANNE-SOPHIE DELMAS, AND S. BLAIR HEDGES

Ecomorphology of Boine Snakes, with Emphasis on South American Forms. LIGIA PIZZATTO, OTAVIO A. V. MARQUES, AND MARCIO MARTINS

Thermal Biology of the Southern African Python (Python natalensis): Does Temperature Limit its Distribution? GRAHAM ALEXANDER

Reproduction and Thermoregulation are Principal Factors that Influence Habitat Selection in the Argentine Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor occidentalis). MARGARITA CHIARAVIGLIO AND MIGUEL BERTONA

Comparative Ecology and Ecological Modeling of Sympatric Pythons, Python regius and Python sebae. LUCA LUISELLI, GODFREY C. AKANI, EDEM A. ENIANG, AND EDOARDO POLITANO

Body Size and Head Shape of Island Boa constrictor in Belize: Environmental Versus Genetic Contributions. SCOTT M. BOBACK AND D. MARK CARPENTER

Habitat Use by the Mona Boa (Epicrates monensis monensis) on Isla Mona, West Indies. PETER J. TOLSON, MIGUEL A. GARCA, AND CANDEE L. ELLSWORTH

Natural History of the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) in the Venezuelan Llanos. JESS A. RIVAS, MARA C. MU#OZ, JOHN B. THORBJARNARSON, GORDON M. BURGHARDT, WILLIAM HOLMSTROM, AND PAUL P. CALLE

Foraging Ecology and Diet of an Ambush Predator: The Green Python (Morelia viridis). DAVID WILSON

The Things You Find on the Road: Roadkill and Incidental Data as an Indicator of Habitat Use in Two Species of Tropical Pythons. ALASTAIR FREEMAN AND CAROLINE BRUCE

Feeding in Boas and Pythons: Motor Recruitment Patterns During Striking. DAVID CUNDALL, ALEX DEUFEL, AND FRANCES IRISH

Response of the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) to Aquatic Acoustic Stimuli. BRUCE A. YOUNG

Constriction Strength in Snakes. BRAD R. MOON AND RITA S. MEHTA

Courtship, Mating, and Alternative Reproductive Tactics in the Middle American Dwarf Boa (Ungaliophis continentalis). R. MICHAEL BURGER AND NEIL B. FORD

Geographic Variation in Pheromone Trailing Behaviors of the Indonesian Water Python (Liasis mackloti) of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Archipelago. CHRISTOPHER K. CARMICHAEL, BRIAN R. KREISER, DAVID G. BARKER, TRACY J. BARKER, AND JAMES C. GILLINGHAM

Testing the Coadaptation Hypothesis: The Thermal Physiology and Termoregulatory Behavior of Rubber Boas (Charina bottae). MICHAEL E. DORCAS AND CHARLES R. PETERSON

Adaptive Correlation Between Feeding Habits and Digestive Physiology for Boas and Pythons. STEPHEN M. SECOR AND BRIAN D. OTT

Neural Correlates of Complex Behavior: Vision and Infrared Imaging in Boas and Pythons. MICHAEL S. GRACE AND ATSUKO MATUSHITA

The Infrared Sight of Boas and Pythons. RICHARD C. GORIS, MASATO NAKANO, YOSHITOSHI ATOBE, AND KENGO FUNAKOSHI

The Specific Dynamic Action in Boas and Pythons. BRIAN D. OTT AND STEPHEN M. SECOR

Sexual Size Dimorphism and the Mating System of the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). JESS A. RIVAS, MARA C. MU#OZ, GORDON M. BURGHARDT, AND JOHN B. THORBJARNARSON

Effects of Habitat Loss on the Genetic Structure of Populations of the Argentine Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor occidentalis). GABRIELA CARDOZO, PAULA C. RIVERA, MARIO LAMFRI, MARCELO SCAVUZZO, CRISTINA GARDENAL, AND MARGARITA CHIARAVIGLIO

Conservation Biology of the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) in Northeastern Argentina. TOMS WALLER, PATRICIO ALEJANDRO MICUCCI, AND ERNESTO ALVARENGA

Spatial Ecology of Resident and Displaced Boa Constrictors (Boa constrictor imperator) on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua: Implications for Conservation. DAVID A. HOLTZMAN, SANDI SHIFLEY, AND DONALD SISSON

Treeboas in the West Indies: Responses of Corallus cookii and Corallus grenadensis to Disturbed Habitats. SYLVIA D. POWELL, MICHAEL L. TREGLIA, ROBERT W. HENDERSON, AND ROBERT POWELL

Ecology and Conservation of an Exploited Insular Population of Boa constrictor (Squamata: Boidae) on the Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. ROBERT N. REED, SCOTT M. BOBACK, CHAD E. MONTGOMERY, STEVEN GREEN, ZOE STEVENS, AND DANIEL WATSON

Genetic Population Structure of the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) in Northern Argentina: Management Implications. MARTN MENDEZ, TOMS WALLER, PATRICIO ALEJANDRO MICUCCI, ERNESTO ALVARENGA, AND JUAN CARLOS MORALES

Introduced Populations of Boa constrictor (Boidae) and Python molurus bivittatus (Pythonidae) in Southern Florida. RAY W. SNOW, KENNETH L. KRYSKO, KEVIN M. ENGE, LORI OBERHOFER, ALCE WARREN-BRADLEY, AND LAURIE WILKINS

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