Anyone currently breeding Boa constrictor melanogastor (sic?)?

I found my review of Langhammer's original description of B. C. melanogaster published in Notes from Noah, XI (8) 1984. To qoute from it, in part. "His description of B. c. melanogaster is based on nine type specimens from the Morona Santiago province in Ecuador. He has also seen identical material from the Napo province of Ecuador. Due to the "still relatively innacessible" Amazonian jungles of eastern Ecuador he states that the eastern range will remain unknown for some time, but he expects the range will overlap into adjacent Amazonian areas of southern Colombia and northern Peru.

To continue qouting, "Langhammer's discussions on the other subspecies of Boa constrictor are very interesting. Besides four obvious synonyms, B. c. diviniloqua, B. c. eques, B. c. var. isthmica, and B. c. mexicana, he also agrees with Zweifel (1960. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 119 (2) in placing B. c. sigma in the synonymy of B. c. imperator. In addition, he places both B. c. ortonii and B. c. sabogae in the synonymy of B. c. imperator."
Unqoute.

With B. c. ortonii being placed into the synonmy of imperator a previous redtail subspecies cease to exist beyond a possible color variation. This brings me to the photo Steve posted. Previously, not having any locality data available for a particular animal, I would have declared that snake a B. c. "ortonii." Same with a melanogaster photo published on Vincent's website. Where exactly does the range of B. c. imperator and B. c. constrictor intergrade? I thought it was in Colombia and northern Peru?

Kevin

I dusted off my World Atlas and now see that the Andes would make a natural barrier to the integradation of B. c. imperator and B. c. constrictor (or B. c. melanogaster for that matter) through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. This is assuming there are no major passes suitable for this species to intergrade however.
So B. c. "ortonii" is a western coastal Peruvian boa and many "Peruvian Redtails" being sold on this forum are actually B. c. constrictor from eastern Peru. If my assumptions are wrong, please correct me.

Kevin

Kevin,

You got it!

See B. c. ortonii is fund west of the Andes and it is probably the southernmost B. c. imperator.

Some one really needs to bring some light into Boa constrictor imperator...

The other Peruvian Boas such as Pucallpa Peru locale and the Iquitos Peru locale are the Boa c. constrictor found on the western range of B. c. constrictor which is of course east of the Andes.

Boa c. melanogaster is a variant of the Boa c. constrictor. Which in my opinion is mlanistic...

Maybe these boas inhabit the eastern slopes of the Andes and have adjusted to a somewhat cooler climate and have become darker and darker.

Just like the Argentine Boas B. c. occidentalis their dark coloration helps them absorb heat faster.

Like I said before some one has to import some wild stock.

I am familiar with the procedure but I do not fulfill the requirements to grant CITES II Export documentation.

Regards, Luis.