Can someone clarify something for me (Hog Island Boa)

[Evenstar]

There are over a dozen various subspecies of BCI which includes the "dwarf" localities and insular subspecies such as Hog Islands and Cay Caulkers. Here's part of a post by Vypyrz that lists the breakdown of the subspecies (for the purpose of this thread, I've included the subspecies for BCI only). I've highlighted in red the "dwarf" localities.


Originally posted by Vypyrz:

Boa Constrictor Imperator (BCI)- This is the largest group of boa constrictors. Their tail color normally ranges from a darker, more subdued red to a more common brown color. They include the boas from Central America:

Colombia
Panama
Costa Rica
Nicaraqua
Mexico: Tamaulipas, Tarahumara, Sonora Desert
and the insular islands:
Hogg Island
Caulker Cay
Crawl Cay
Corn Island

Boa Constrictor Amarali (BCA)- Bolivian boa constrictors

Boa Constrictor Longicauda (BCL)- These come from the Tumbes region of Peru. They are also known as the Peruvian Long-tail Boa, as they have a higher scale count from their vent to tail tip, than the Peruvian BCC.

Boa Constrictor Occidentalis (BCO)- Argentine boa constrictors.

Boa Constrictor Sabogae (BCS)- Pearl Island boa constrictors

As well as, some of the lesser known sub-species:
Boa Constrictor Nebulosa- Dominican Republic, Lesser Antilles
Boa Constrictor Orophias- St. Lucia
Boa Constrictor Melanogaster- Ecuador Black Belly

It is best to research each of these, as they have different sizes, colorings, and growth rates. Here are a few websites to help you get started, where the different sub-species of Boa Constrictor are discussed and described:

http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/com.html

http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/contactinformation/

http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/index.htm

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I may have missed one or two! Cutting Edge Herps has significant and detailed info on these dwarf subspecies - Vin Russo specializes in them. And also with the blood boas. Bloods are a color morph with beautiful red and dark rose hues. Much redder than a hypo. Here is the page from Vin's site that tells about their history: Cutting Edge Herps - blood boas.

Many dwarf localities will max out around 5ft. It will depend on the specific locality though. Hog Islands tend to reach about 6ft while the Mexican Tarahumaran Mountain boa hardly ever even reaches 4ft in length.

There are not many morphs in dwarf localities. Most breeders attempt to keep these boas of pure lineage. But some color/patterns are proven genetic such as bloods, hypos, anerys, and leopards.

Hope this helps!