https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=BoigaBoiga - Revision history2026-07-30T15:04:48ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Boiga&diff=109898&oldid=prev>Lyttle-Wight at 13:35, 3 July 20212021-07-03T13:35:54Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Genus of snakes}}<br />
{{Automatic taxobox<br />
| image = Boiga dendrophila.jpg<br />
| image_caption = ''[[Boiga dendrophila]]'', mangrove snake<br />
| taxon = Boiga<br />
| authority = [[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1826<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Boiga''''' is a large [[genus]] of [[Snake skeleton#Opisthoglyph|opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged)]], mildly [[venomous snake]]s, known [[Common name|commonly]] as '''cat-eyed snakes''' or simply '''cat snakes''', in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Colubridae]]. [[Species]] of the genus ''Boiga'' are native to southeast [[Asia]], [[India]], and [[Australia]], but due to their extremely hardy nature and adaptability, have spread to many other suitable habitats around the world. There are 34 recognized [[species]] in the genus. According to the study done by Jiří Smíd regarding Old World cat snakes, the ancestor of the cat snake originated in Africa, from where it diversified and expanded to other countries. Despite this diversity however, the different species have very similar needs in terms of temperature and precipitation.<ref>Genus ''Boiga'' at Wikispecies. species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Boiga.</ref><br />
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==Species and subspecies==<br />
[[File:mangrove snake 1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mangrove snake at the [[United States]] [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoological Park]].]]<br />
*''[[Boiga andamanensis]]'' {{small|([[Frank Wall (herpetologist)|Wall]], 1909)}} – Andaman cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga angulata]]'' {{small|([[Wilhelm Peters|W. Peters]], 1861)}} – Leyte cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga barnesii]]'' {{small|([[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1869)}} – Barnes' cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga beddomei]]'' {{small|(Wall, 1909)}} – Beddome's cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga bengkuluensis]]'' {{small|[[:fr:Nikolaï Orlov|Orlov]], [[Sergei V. Kudryavtzev|Kudryavtzev]], [[Sergei A. Ryabov|Ryabov]] & [[Oleg V. Shumakov|Shumakov]], 2003}}<br />
*''[[Boiga blandingii]]'' {{small|([[Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)|Hallowell]], 1844)}} – Blanding's tree snake<br />
*''[[Boiga bourreti]]'' {{small|[[F. Tillack|Tillack]], [[T. Ziegler|Ziegler]] & [[Le Khac Quyet]], 2004}}<br />
*''[[Boiga ceylonensis]]'' {{small|(Günther, 1858)}} – Sri Lanka cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga cyanea]]'' {{small|([[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C. Duméril]], [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]] & [[Auguste Duméril|A.H.A. Duméril]], 1854)}} – green cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga cynodon]]'' {{small|([[Friedrich Boie|F. Boie]], 1827)}} – dog-toothed cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga dendrophila]]'' {{small|(F. Boie, 1827)}} – gold-ringed cat snake, mangrove snake<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila annectens'' {{small|([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1896)}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila dendrophila'' {{small|(F. Boie, 1827)}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila divergens'' {{small|[[Edward Harrison Taylor|Taylor]], 1922}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila gemmicincta'' {{small|(A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila latifasciata'' {{small|(Boulenger, 1896)}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila levitoni'' {{small|[[M. Gaulke|Gaulke]], [[A. Demegillo|Demegillo]] & [[Gernot Vogel|G. Vogel]], 2005}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila multicincta'' {{small|(Boulenger, 1896)}}<br />
**''Boiga dendrophila occidentalis'' {{small|[[Leo Brongersma|Brongersma]], 1934}}<br />
*''[[Boiga dightoni]]'' {{small|(Boulenger, 1894)}} – Pirmad cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga drapiezii]]'' {{small|([[Heinrich Boie|H. Boie]] in F. Boie, 1827)}} – white-spotted cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga flaviviridis]]'' {{small|G. Vogel & [[Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Ganesh|Ganesh]], 2013}}<br />
*''[[Boiga forsteni]]'' {{small|(A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)}} – Forsten's cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga gocool]]'' {{small|([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1835)}} – arrowback tree snake<br />
*''[[Boiga guangxiensis]]'' {{small|[[Y. Wen|Wen]], 1998}}<br />
*''[[Boiga hoeseli]]'' {{small|[[Gilang Ramadhan|Ramadhan]], [[Djoko Tjahjono Iskandar|Iskandar]] & [[Dadang R. Subasri|Subasri]], 2010}}<br />
*''[[Boiga irregularis]]'' {{small|([[Blasius Merrem|Merrem]], 1802)}} – brown tree snake<br />
*''[[Boiga jaspidea]]'' {{small|(A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)}} – jasper cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga kraepelini]]'' {{small|([[Leonhard Stejneger|Stejneger]], 1902)}} – Kelung cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga melanota]]'' {{small|(Boulenger, 1896)}}<br />
*''[[Boiga multifasciata]]'' {{small|([[Edward Blyth|Blyth]], 1861)}} – many-banded cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga multomaculata]]'' {{small|(F. Boie, 1827)}} – many-spotted cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga nigriceps]]'' {{small|(Günther, 1863)}} – black-headed cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga nuchalis]]'' {{small|(Günther, 1875)}} – collared cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga ochracea]]'' {{small|(Günther, 1868)}} – tawny cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga philippina]]'' {{small|(W. Peters, 1867)}} – Philippine cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga quincunciata]]'' {{small|(Wall, 1908)}}<br />
*''[[Boiga saengsomi]]'' {{small|[[Wirot Nutphand|Nutphand]], 1985}} – banded cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga schultzei]]'' {{small|Taylor, 1923}} – [[:de:Leonhard Schultze-Jena|Schultze's]] blunt-headed tree snake<br />
*''[[Boiga siamensis]]'' {{small|(Nutphand, 1971)}} – gray cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga tanahjampeana]]'' {{small|Orlov & Ryabov, 2002}}<br />
*''[[Boiga thackerayi]]'' {{small|Giri, Deepak, Captain, Pawar, & Tillack, 2019}} – Thackeray’s cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga trigonata]]'' {{small|([[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider]], 1802)}} – Indian gamma snake<br />
**''Boiga trigonata trigonata'' {{small|(Schneider, 1802)}}<br />
**''Boiga trigonata melanocephala'' {{small|([[Nelson Annandale|Annandale]], 1904)}}<br />
*''[[Boiga wallachi]]'' {{small|[[:fr:Indraneil Das|Das]], 1998}} – Nicobar cat snake<br />
*''[[Boiga westermanni]]'' {{small|[[Johannes Theodor Reinhardt|Reinhardt]], 1863}} – Indian egg-eating snake<br />
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''[[Nota bene]]'': A [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial authority]] in parentheses indicates that the species was original described in a genus other than ''Boiga''.<br />
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==Description==<br />
Cat snakes are long-bodied snakes with large heads and large [[eye]]s. They vary greatly in pattern and color. Many species have banding, but some are spotted and some are solid-colored. Colors are normally [[black]], [[brown]], or [[green]] with [[white]] or [[yellow]] accents.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}<br />
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==Behaviour==<br />
Snakes of the genus ''Boiga'' are primarily [[arboreal]], [[nocturnal]] snakes.<br />
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==Diet==<br />
Snakes of the genus ''Boiga'' [[Predation|prey]] on various species of [[lizard]]s, small snakes, and [[bird]]s, they also feed on other [[mammal]]s in the wild.<br />
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==Venom==<br />
The toxicity of ''Boiga'' venom varies from species to species, but is not generally considered to be life-threatening to humans.<br />
Since their venom doesn't usually harm humans, they are popular exotic pets.<br />
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==Reproduction==<br />
''Boiga'' species are [[oviparous]].<ref>Rodda GH, Fritts TH, McCoid MJ, Campbell EW III (1999). "An Overview of the Biology of the Brown Treesnake (''Boiga irregularis''), a Costly Introduced Pest on Pacific Islands". pp. 44-80. '''''In'':''' Rodda GH, Sawai Y, Chiszar D, Tanaka H (editors) (1999). ''Problem Snake Management: the Habu and the Brown Treesnake''. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 534 pp. {{ISBN|978-0801435072}}. http://www.stoppinginvasives.org/dotAsset/aa46f8a3-9334-4e55-b724-5f63ffaffc7f.pdf</ref><br />
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==In captivity==<br />
''Boiga dendrophila'' is by far the most common species in captivity, but ''B. cynea'' and ''B. nigriceps'' are also found. Nowadays, ''B. cynodon'', ''B. philippina'' and a “Katherine morph” of ''B. irregularis'' are also circulating in the South-East Asian exotic pet trade. Others are not commonly available. They are hardy and adaptable and tend to do well in captivity after the initial period of stress from the importation process is passed. They are not bred commonly in captivity, so most specimens available are wild caught, and thus are prone to heavy internal [[parasite]] load. Adjusting them to a [[rodent]] only diet can be difficult for the inexperienced [[reptile]] keeper.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}<br />
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==Invasive species==<br />
''Boiga irregularis'' in particular has been federally banned in the [[United States]] because of its effect by accidentally being introduced to the island of [[Guam]]. Some time during the 1950s, some ''B. irregularis'' of both sexes (or possibly a single female with [[Egg (biology)|egg]]s) reached the island, possibly having hidden in imported [[plant]] pots. The island of Guam lacks native snakes or predators that can deal with snakes the size and aggressiveness of ''B. irregularis''. As a result, it has bred unchecked as an [[invasive species]], and has begun consuming the island's bird life in extreme numbers. Dozens of bird species have been completely eradicated from the island, many species that were found nowhere else on earth, and the snake has reached astonishing population densities, reported to be as high as 15,000 snakes per square mile. In addition to devouring the native [[fauna]], this species will routinely crawl into power transformers, and, unfortunately for all involved, this typically results in both an electrocuted snake and substantial blackouts.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Brown Treesnake on Guam|publisher=Fort Collins Science Center, United States Geological Survey|url=http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/education/bts/|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717172351/http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Resources/Education/BTS/|archivedate=2007-07-17}}</ref><br />
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{{clear}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
*[[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger LI]] (1826). ''Neue Classification der Reptilien nach ihren natürlichen Verwandtschaften. Nebst einer Verwandtschafts-tafel und einem Verzeichnisse der Reptilien-Sammlung des k.k. zoologischen Museums zu Wien.'' Vienna: J.G. Heubner. five unnumbered + 67 pp. + one plate. (''Boiga'', new genus, p.&nbsp;60). (in German and Latin).<br />
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==External links==<br />
*{{EMBL genus|genus=Boiga}}<br />
*[http://www.wildherps.com/species/B.irregularis.html Wild Herps.com: Eastern Brown Tree Snake]<br />
*[http://www.gernot-vogel.de/index.php?target=checklist Gernot-Vogel.de: Checklist of the Genus ''Boiga'' (Serpentes: Colubridae)]<br />
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q1475483}}<br />
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[[Category:Boiga| ]]<br />
[[Category:Colubrids]]<br />
[[Category:Snakes of Australia]]<br />
[[Category:Reptiles of India]]<br />
[[Category:Reptiles of Asia]]<br />
[[Category:Reptiles of Pakistan]]<br />
[[Category:Snake genera]]<br />
[[Category:Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger]]</div>>Lyttle-Wight