Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Why do you call indigos cribo?

Only the Central and South American varieties are called Cribos. There are 2 subspecies in the U.S., both are called Indigos, the Texas Indigo and the Eastern Indigo.

In Central And South America (including Mexico) there are several others that are called Cribos, including Blacktail Cribos, Mexican Redtail Cribos (rare), Unicolor Cribos, Yellowtail Cribos, Margarita Island Cribos (exceedingly rare) and a couple of others which are also exceedingly rare and never available in the US for private collectors. SOmetimes you will see a Cribo being sold as a "South American Indigo" or "Central American Indigo".

Oldherper,

Hi. Thanks. That sort of clears it up. Where does the cribo term come from? Is it a reference to the genus, species, or subspecies?

Sorry for all the noob questions. I myself am an old herper though I am a hopeless noob to indigos.

I read somewhere that the word cribo comes from a Portuguese term
that means "chicken eater".

This would make sense in that the yellowtail cribo (the nominate sub) ranges over a large part of Brazil. I'm sure a fair number of these snakes have raided chicken coops in Brazil! Now...I've never been able to find an English-Portuguese dictionary that lists the word "cribo". Maybe it's slang?

Perhaps someone from Brazil can help...you've got me wondering now.

Ultimatly the whole thing boils down to common vs Latin names. I have seen the term Cribo applied to SPILOTES PULLATUS Which is also called the "Tiger rat snake" and in one book; SURINAMESE SLANGEN IN KLEUR (A Dutch book) as a yellow rat snake.

I don't know where the term Cribo comes from but it seems like other common names to have a variety of uses depending on where the snake is found.

Frank
-----
"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

(1) Which species of Drymarchon does not require a permit in Kentucky and (2) who is a reliable dealer/distributor?

Bad luck is that Kentucky recently passed new legislation that states you cannot bring any more federally protected species into the state. That's eastern indigos...so even with a federal permit, you can't bring one into Kentucky.

You can keep any of the rest.
Texans are legal as long as they are CB, as they are protected by the state of TX.

Check www.indigosnakes.com breeders section.

PS are you going to be at herpetology weekend (this weekend)
at natural bridge state park? I'll be there...we can talk more there if you like.

Dean Alessandrini

Dean,

Hi. I don't think I'm going to make it to herp weekend. It's over a two hour drive for me and I can't con any of my friends into going with me. Would it be possible to email you directly?