.::::: Snakes of the World - Boidea - Eryx :::::.
Last update: 26 October, 2003

This genus is often referred to as sandboas. The species a distributed in northern Africa and the Mittle East as far east as India and China.

Eryx Daudin, 1803
(Type = Boa turcica)
Clothonia Daudin, 1803
(Type = Boa anguiformis)
Cusoria Gray, 1849
(Type = Cusoria elegans)
Pseudogongylophis Tokar, 1989
(Type = Eryx jayakari)
Eryx elegans (Gray, 1849)
Cusoria elegans Gray, 1849
Eryx jaculus czarewskii Nikolsky, 1916
Distribution: Afghanistan, Iran and Turkmenistan.
Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anguis cerastes Linnaeus, 1758
Anguis jaculus Linnaeus, 1758
Boa turcica Olivier, 1801
Eryx cerastes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Eryx familiaris Eichwald, 1831
Eryx jaculus familiaris Eichwald, 1831
Eryx jaculus jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Eryx jaculus proprius Carevsky, 1916
Eryx jaculus turcicus (Olivier, 1801)
Eryx jaculus urmianus Rostombekov, 1928
Eryx jaculus var. teherana Jan, 1865
Eryx johnii persicus Nikolsky, 1907
Eryx persicus Nikolsky, 1907
Eryx turcicus (Olivier, 1801)
Tortrix eryx Schlegel, 1837
  Distribution: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkestan and Turkey.
Eryx jayakari Boulenger, 1888
Eryx fodiens Annandale, 1913
Distribution: Bahrain, Iran and Kuwait.
Eryx johnii (Russell, 1801)
Boa anguiformis Schneider, 1801
Boa johnii Russell, 1801
Clothonia anguiformis (Schneider, 1801)
Clothonia johnii (Russell, 1801)
Eryx jaculus var. johni (Russell, 1801)
Eryx johnii johnii (Russell, 1801)
Eryx maculatus Hallowell, 1848
Tortrix eryx indicus Schlegel, 1837
Distribution: India, Iran and Pakistan.
Eryx miliaris (Pallas, 1773)
Anguis helluo Pallas, 1814
Anguis miliaris Pallas, 1773
Eryx jaculus miliaris (Pallas, 1773)
Eryx jaculus var. miliaris (Pallas, 1773)
Eryx miliaris incerta Carevsky, 1916
Eryx miliaris miliaris (Pallas, 1773)
Eryx miliaris nogaiorum Nikolsky, 1910
Eryx miliaris rarus Carevsky, 1916
Eryx miliaris tritus Carevsky, 1916
Eryx miliaris var. koslowi Bedriaga, 1907
Eryx miliaris var. roborowskii Bedriaga, 1907
Eryx rickmersi Werner, 1930
Eryx tataricus bogdanovi Carevsky, 1916
Eryx tataricus helluo (Pallas, 1814)
Distribution: Afghanistan, China, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.

Eryx somalicus Scortecci, 1939

Distribution: Somalia.
Eryx tataricus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
  • tataricus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
    Boa tatarica Lichtenstein, 1823
  • speciosus Carevsky, 1916
    Eryx speciosus Carevsky, 1916
  • vittatus Chernov, 1959

    • Distribution:     Afghanistan (speciosus) and Turkmenistan (tataricus).
    Eryx whitakeri Das, 1991

    Distribution: India.
    Literature
    Anderson, S.C. 1978. Geographic Distribution. Eryx jayakari. Herpetol. Rev., 9(1): 22.
    Branch, W.R. 1986. Hemipenial Morphology of African Snakes: A Taxonomic Review Part 1. Scolecophidia and Boidae. J. Herpetol., 20(3): 285-299.
    Bringsøe, H. 1985. A check-list of Peloponnesian amphibians and reptiles, including new records from Greece. Ann. Musei Goulandris, 7: 271-318.
    Das, I. 1991. A New Species of Eryx (Boidae: Serpentes: Squamata) from South-Western India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 88: 92-97.

    Farkas, B. & L. Sasvári. 1994. "Ungewöhnliche" Nahrungsaufnahme einer Eryx (Pseudogongylophis) jayakari. elaphe (N.F.), 2(4): 13.

    Gray, J.E. 1842. Synopsis of the species of prehensile-tailed Snakes, or Family Boidæ. Zool. Misc., London, 2: 41-46.
    Gruber, U. 1989. Die Schlangen Europas und rund ums Mittelmeer. Kosmos Naturführer, Franckh’sche Verlag, Stuttgart, 248 pp.
    Hallmann, P. 1989. Slanger mellem Sortehavet og det Kaspiske Hav. NHF, 32(10): 330-346.
    Hallowell, E. 1848. Description of a species of Eryx, from Madras. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1848: 184.

    Khaire, A. & N. Khaire. 1986. A report on the occurrence of hybrid between Eryx conicus (Schneider) and Eryx johnii (Russell). The Snake, 18: 114-117.

    Khaire, A. & N. Khaire. 1987. A report on the occurrence of hybrid between Eryx conicus (Schneider) and Eryx johnii (Russell). Hamadryad, 12(2): 7.

    Kluge, A.G. 1993. Calabaria and the phylogeny of erycine snakes. Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 107: 293-351.
    Leviton, A.E., S.C. Anderson, K. Adler & S.A. Minton. 1992. Handbook to Middle East Amphibians and Reptiles. SSAR Contrib. Herpetol. 8, 252 pp.
    McDiarmid, R.W., J.A. Campbell & T.A. Touré. 1999. Snakes Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Volume 1. Herpetol. League, Washington, 511 pp.

    Rage, J.C. 1972. Eryx Daudin et Gongylophis Wagler (Serpentes, Boidae). Étude osteologique. Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., Paris, 57: 893-898.

    Rieppel, O. 1978. A functional and phylogenetic interpretation of the skull of the Erycinae (Reptilia, Serpentes). J. Zool., 186: 185-208.
    Shaposhnikov, A. V. 2001. About new record of Eryx miliaris on the Mt. Bol'shoi Bogdo in Astrakhan' Region, Russia. Russ. J. Herpetol., 8(1): 79.

    Sorensen, D. 1987. The genus Eryx. Chicago Herpet. Soc. Bull., 23(2): 21-25.

    Sorensen, D. 1988. Behavior and reproduction in the genus Eryx. Pp. 125-135. In: Proc. 10th and 11th Int. Herpetol. Symp. Captive Pr. Newton Abbot David and Charles LTD.
    Staub, R.E. & J. Emberton. 2002. Eryx jayakari. Reproduction. Herpetol. Rev., 33(3): 214.
    Stettler, P.H. 1995. Die Wüsten-Sandboa Eryx m. miliaris (Pall. 1773): Aufzeichnungen zum Vorkommen - Bilder Zur Haltung und Nachzucht. Zusammenfassungen DGHT Jahrestagung 1995, 8-9.
    Tokar, A.A. 1991. [A Revision of the Subspecies Structure of Javelin Sand Boa, Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Reptilia, Boidae); in Russian]. Herpetol. res., 1: 18-41.
    Yao, C. 1989. The Anatomy of the Nervous System of Eryx miliaris. Pp. 1-7. In: Matsui, M., T. Hikida & R.C. Goris (eds.). Current Herpetology in East Asia. Herpetol. Soc. Japan, Kyoto, 521 pp.