Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hallo!

I was just curious if anyone could explain the differences between the different types of Rainbow Boas - Brazilian, Columbian, Argentine, Guyana, Peruvian. I’ve seen Columbian Rainbow Boas before they just seemed slightly duller than the Brazilians. But I’ve never seen an Argentine, Guyana or Peruvian. I tried googling them and in the pictures they looked exactly like Brazilians so I’m wondering if they’re really that similar or if those pictures are mislabeled. And if they are that similar why is the Brazilian so dominant?

First off I don't keep the insular SSP's so my info may not be totally correct but here goes....

Brazilian Rainbow Boa (BRB) - Epicrates Chenchria Chenchria. Is the typical rainow boa in most collections, variable in color form duller brown tones to vibrant orange or red. Pattern remains clear and visable throught the life of the boa. IMO is the staple rainbow boa because of the brighter colors.

Peruvian Rainbow Boa - Epicrates Chenchria Gaigei. Very similar to BRB's many times indistinguishable. Typically have darker/bolder pattern outlines and have fewer mid body scale rows. It is believed that in captivity BRB's and PRB's have been crossed many times due to ther simlar coloring.

Colombian Rainbow Boa (CRB) - Epicrates Cenchria Maurus. Born with similiar pattern to BRB's but with brown and tan colors. As te hatchlngs grow, the pattern typically fades away into a solid brown rainbow boa.

Argentinean Rainbow Boa (ARB) - Epicrates Chenchria Alvarezi. Similar to BRB's but smaller and not as colorful.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (05/26/2009):
36.51 BRB
29.42 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Good questions. Keep in mind that taxonomy is, imo, a general guideline we humans use. In the wild, rainbow boas have a continuous range over many different types of habitat. So it can get confusing.

I think Dave summed it up pretty well. I don't think the Guyana boa is even officially classified as a subspecies, but I'm not sure.

Here are a few pics of my Argentinian Rainbow. I'm certainly no expert, but for what it's worth, Argentinians seem to have blunter heads, as well as different striping on their heads, as opposed to most other sub-species.

Thanks,
Ed

Thanks to both of you for the info and satisfying my curiosity : )

There is also E. c. crassus, a stouter rainbow which is overall deep reddish brown, and E. c. assisi, which looks like a slender and shorter brazilian, and usually has plenty of bulls eyes, oh, and E. c. hygrophilus, which looks like a yellow Brazilian.
Argentinian rainbows range from reddish to deep dark brown, in the latter case the spots on the back have a slightly different shape and look sort of like a carpet python, without black lines around the spot
I hope this helps,

David