''Candoia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of non-venomous

boa Boa, BoA, or BOA may refer to: Snakes * Any member of the Boidae, a family of medium to large, non-venomous, constricting snakes ** Any member of the Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes *** Any member of ''Boa'' (genus), a group of boid snakes * ...

s found mostly in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

, the Solomon Islands and the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Common names include bevel-nosed boas and keel-scaled boas.

Description

The species of the genus ''Candoia'' typically have a rounded and heavy body, with a flattened triangular-shaped head and an upturned nose. Colors and patterns vary greatly, but most are various shades of brown to black. Species can vary in adult size from to in total length (including the tail). Males are typically smaller than females and can be distinguished by their prominent cloacal spurs.

Distribution and habitat

The species of the genus ''Candoia'' are found from

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

and

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...

west through

and the

and the Solomon Islands in Indonesia.

Behavior

All species of ''Candoia'' are primarily nocturnal.

Feeding

The primary diet of ''Candoia'' species consists of frogs, tadpoles, fish, skinks and other lizards, rodents and birds. Neonates are more inclined to feed on tadpoles, fish and lizard species with adult specimens of C. Aspera, C. Paulsoni and C. Tasmai transitioning to larger prey which includes rodents and birds. C. Carinata and C.B. Australis remain focused on lizard, skink and bird prey.

Reproduction

In the species of the genus ''Candoia'', breeding occurs early in the year, typically after rains. Several males will approach and pursue a single female, and mild combat can be observed between the males where they will buck each other off of the desired female. Females seem to only

ovulate Ovulation is an important part of the menstrual cycle in female vertebrates where the egg cells are released from the ovaries as part of the ovarian cycle. In female humans ovulation typically occurs near the midpoint in the menstrual cycle and ...

once every two or three years and give birth to litters averaging 10 or so neonates. The Solomon Island ground boa ('' C. paulsoni'') is an exception, as it is known to have particularly large litters, with the average being 30-40 but as many as 110 on record in captive reproduction.

Captivity

The species of the genus ''Candoia'' are frequently imported for the exotic pet trade, but are now being bred in captivity with some regularity by private individuals. Their small size and ease of care make them interesting captives, but wild-caught specimens are not known to acclimate well. The stress of captivity manifests itself in the form of lack of interest in food. Their natural diet often presents a problem for hobbyists mainly familiar with using rodents as food.

Species

Five species are recognized: *) Not including the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

.
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Type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

Classification

The genus ''Candoia'' is traditionally placed in the subfamily

Boinae The Boinae are a purported subfamily of boas found in Central and South America, as well as the West Indies. In the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), ''Boinae'' is considered an invalid synonym of Boidae. Genera *) Not includ ...

; however, a 2013 study comparing DNA sequences of 12 genes of over 4,000 species supported ''Candoia'' as more distantly related, with remaining members of the Boinae being more closely related to the boid subfamily

Erycinae The Erycinae, also known as the Old World sand boas, are a subfamily of nonvenomous snakes in the family Boidae. Species of the subfamily Erycinae are found in Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, Arabia, central and southwestern Asia, India, Sri Lanka, ...

; thus ''Candoia'' was placed in the newly named subfamily Candoiinae.

References

External links

"The Candoia Page"
a
Kingsnake.com
Accessed 5 July 2008.