Revista geológica de América central ISSN Impreso: 0256-7024 ISSN electrónico: 2215-261X

OAI: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/geologica/oai
Boid snake fossils from the Neogene of Southern Costa Rica
Dorsal vertebrae of Boa constrictor from the Upper Miocene of southern Costa Rica. A–B: CF 6616 in anterior (A) view
PDF (Español (España))

Keywords

Costa Rica
San Vito
Miocene
Boa
Immigration
Costa Rica
San Vito
Mioceno
Boa
Inmigración

How to Cite

Lucas, S. G., Sequeira, C., Chesnel, V., Rodríguez, D., Alvarado, G. E., Ramírez, T., Méndez, J. C., Vargas, A., Vargas, C., & Ruiz, G. (2025). Boid snake fossils from the Neogene of Southern Costa Rica. Revista geológica De América Central, 72. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.2025.64924

Abstract

Three dorsal vertebrae of boid snakes from the Upper Miocene deposits of southern Costa Rica are documented and tentatively assigned to Boa constrictor. These fossils represent the first described snake remains from Costa Rica and their earliest record from Central America north of Panama. Their presence supports the possibility of bidirectional snake dispersal between South and North America during the Late Miocene. 

https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.2025.64924
PDF (Español (España))

References

Acuña, R. A., & Laurito, C. A. (1996). Nueva especie de Rhinoclemmys Fitzinger, 1836 (Chelonii, Cryptodira) del Cenozoico Tardío de Costa Rica. Ameghiniana, 33(3), 271-278.

Albino, A. M. (2011). Morfología vertebral de Boa constrictor (Serpentes: Boidae) y la validez del género Mioceno Pseudoepicrates Auffenberg, 1923. Ameghiniana, 48(1), 53-63.

Albino, A. M., & Brizuela, S. (2014). An Overview of the South American Fossil Squamates. The Anatomical Record, 297(3), 349-368. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.22858

Albino, A. M., & Carlini, A. A. (2008). First Record of Boa constrictor (Serpentes, Boidae) in the Quaternary of South America. Journal of Herpetology, 42(1), 82-88.

Auffenberg, W. (1963). The fossil snakes of Florida. Tulane studies in zoology, 10, 131-216. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.4641

Auffenberg, W. (1971). A New Fossil Tortoise, with Remarks on the Origin of South American Testudinines. Copeia, 1971(1), 106-117. https://doi.org/10.2307/1441604

Bochaton, C., & Bailon, S. (2018). A new fossil species of Boa Linnaeus, 1758 (Squamata, Boidae), from the Pleistocene of Marie-Galante Island (French West Indies). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 38(3), e1462829. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2018.1462829

Cadena, E., Bourque, J. R., Rincon, A. F., Bloch, J. I., Jaramillo, C. A., & Macfadden, B. J. (2012). New Turtles (Chelonia) from the Late Eocene Through Late Miocene of the Panama Canal Basin. Journal of Paleontology, 86(3), 539-557. https://doi.org/10.1666/11-106.1

Cisneros, J. C. (2005). New Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from El Salvador. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia, 8(3), 239-255.

Coto, Á., & Acuña, R. (1986). Filogenia de Geochelone costarricensis y la familia Testudinidae (Reptilia: Testudines) en el continente americano. Revista de Biología Tropical, 34(2), 6.

Hastings, A. K., Bloch, J. I., Jaramillo, C. A., Rincon, A. F., & Macfadden, B. J. (2013). Systematics and biogeography of crocodylians from the Miocene of Panama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.713814

Head, J. J., Rincon, A. F., Suarez, C., Montes, C., & Jaramillo, C. (2012). Fossil evidence for earliest Neogene American faunal interchange: Boa (Serpentes, Boinae) from the early Miocene of Panama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32(6), 1328-1334. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.694387

Kirby, M. X., & MacFadden, B. (2005). Was southern Central America an archipelago or a peninsula in the middle Miocene? A test using land-mammal body size. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 228(3-4), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.06.002

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2005). First record of Rhynchotherium blicki (Frick, 1933) for the late Cenozoic of Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 33, 75-82. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i33.4237

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2008a). Ictiofauna de la localidad de San Gerrado de Limoncito, Formación Curré, Mioceno superior, cantón de Coto Brus, Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 39, 65-85. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i39.12249

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2008b). The First Record of Gavialosuchus americanus Sellards (1915) † (Eusuchia: Crocodylidae, Tomistominae) for the Late Tertiary of Costa Rica and Central America. Revista Geológica de América Central, 39. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i39.12253

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2010). Los Caballos Fósiles de la Formación Curré, cantón de Coto Brus, Costa Rica. https://www.museocostarica.go.cr/divulgacion/publicaciones/libros/los-caballos-fosiles-de-la-formacion-curre/

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2012a). Paleobiogeografía del arribo de mamíferos suramericanos al sur de América Central de previo al gran intercambio biótico americano: Un vistazo al GABI en América Central. Revista Geológica de América Central, (46), 123-144. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i46.1840

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2012b). Primer registro fósil de Pliometanastes sp. (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Megalonychidae) para el mioceno superior de Costa Rica, América Central. Una nueva pista en la comprensión del Pre-GABI. Revista Geológica de América Central, 47, 95-108. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i47.6492

Laurito, C. A., & Valerio, A. L. (2016). Camellos laminos del Mioceno Tardío (Henfiliano Temprano) de la Formación Curré, San Gerardo de Limoncito, cantón de Coto Brus, provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 54, 7-55. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v54i0.21148

Laurito, C. A., Valerio, A. L., Gómez, L. D., Mead, J. I., Pérez G., E. A., & Pérez R., L. G. (2005). A Trionychidae (Reptilia: Testudines, Cryptodira) from the Pliocene of Costa Rica, Southern Central America. Revista Geológica de América Central, (32). https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i32.4241

Lucas, S. G. (2014). Vertebrate Paleontology in Central America: 30 years of progress. Revista Geológica de América Central, Número especial: 30 aniversario, 139-155. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i0.16576

Lucas, S. G., Romero, J. E., Vásquez, O. J., & Alvarado, G. E. (2022). The fossil vertebrates of Guatemala. Revista Geológica de América Central, 66, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v66i0.48590

Mead, J. I., Cubero, R., Zamora, A. L. V., Swift, S. L., Laurito, C., & Gómez, L. D. (2006). Plio-Pleistocene Crocodylus (Crocodylia) from southwestern Costa Rica. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 41(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650520500309917

Montes, C., Cardona, A., Jaramillo, C., Pardo, A., Silva, J. C., Valencia, V., … Niño, H. (2015). Middle Miocene closure of the Central American Seaway. Science, 348(6231), 226-229. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa2815

Mook, C. C. (1959). A new Pleistocene crocodilian from Guatemala. American Museum Novitates, 1975, 1-6.

O’Dea, A., Lessios, H. A., Coates, A. G., Eytan, R. I., Restrepo-Moreno, S. A., Cione, A. L., … Jackson, J. B. C. (2016). Formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Science Advances, 2(8), e1600883. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600883

Onary-Alves, S. Y., Hsiou, A. S., & Rincón, A. D. (2017). The northernmost South American fossil record of Boa constrictor (Boidae, Boinae) from the Plio–Pleistocene of El Breal de Orocual (Venezuela). Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 41(1), 61-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2016.1180031

Pyron, R. A., Reynolds, R. G., & Burbrink, F. T. (2014). A Taxonomic Revision of Boas (Serpentes: Boidae). Zootaxa, 3846(2), 249-260. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3846.2.5

Rincón, A. D., Valerio, A. L., & Laurito, C. A. (2020). First fossil record of a Megatheriidae-Megatheriinae in the Early Hemphillian (Late Miocene) from San Gerardo de Limoncito, Curré Formation, Costa RIca. Revista Geológica de América Central, (62). https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v62i0.41278

Valerio, A. L. (2010). Paleontología, bioestratigrafía y paleoecología de los caballos fósiles de la Formación Curré en el cantón de Coto Brus, Costa Rica (Análisis basado en material dental). [Bachelor thesis]. Universidad de Costa Rica.

Valerio, A. L., & Laurito, C. A. (2008). Dental remains of immature individuals of Rhynchotherium blicki (Frick 1933) of San Gerardo de Limoncito, Coto Brus, Costa Rica. Revista geológica de América central, 39, 87-91. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i39.12250

Valerio, A. L., & Laurito, C. A. (2012). Cetáceos fósiles (Mammalia, Odontoceti, Eurhinodelphinoidea, Inioidea, Physeterioidea) de la Formación Curré, Mioceno Superior (Hemphilliano temprano tardío) de Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 46, 151-160. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v0i46.1902

Valerio, A. L., & Laurito, C. A. (2014). Nueva evidencia de un estadio juvenil de Pliometanastes protistus y su relación con ?Pliometanastes galushai Hirschfeld & Webb, 1968 (Xernarthra, Megalonychidae) para el Mioceno Superior de Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 51, 159-163. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v51i1.16851

Valerio, A. L., & Laurito, C. A. (2020). Primer registro de pecaríes fósiles (Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae) para el Mioceno Superior (Hh3: Hemphilliano tardío) de Costa Rica, América Central. Revista Geológica de América Central, 62, 25-47. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v62i0.40638

Valerio, A. L., Laurito, C. A., McDonald, H. G., & Rincón, A. D. (2022). Megalonychid Sloths from the Early Late Hemphillian (Late Miocene), Curré Formation, San Gerardo de Limoncito, Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, (66), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.v66i0.48587

Wade, B. S., Pearson, P. N., Berggren, W. A., & Pälike, H. (2011). Review and revision of Cenozoic tropical planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and calibration to the geomagnetic polarity and astronomical time scale. Earth-Science Reviews, 1004(1-3), 111-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.09.003

Webb, S. D., & Perrigo, S. C. (1984). Late Cenozoic Vertebrates from Honduras and El Salvador. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 4(2), 237-254.

Weems, R. E., Lucas, S. G., Sequeira, C., Chesnel, V., Rodríguez, D., Alvarado, G. E., Ramírez, T., Vargas, A., & Vargas, C. (2025). Late Miocene turtles from southern Costa Rica. Revista Geológica de América Central, 72, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.15517/rgac.2025.65017

Yuan, P. B. (1984). Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, and Geologic Evolution of Eastern Terraba Trough, Southwestern Costa Rica (Tectonics, Forearc Basin). (Ph.D. Dissertation). Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College.

##plugins.facebook.comentarios##

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2025 Spencer G. Lucas, César Sequeira, Valentin Chesnel, Diego Rodríguez, Guillermo E. Alvarado, Thais Ramírez, Joanna C. Méndez, Amado Vargas, Cristian Vargas, Gustavo Ruiz

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.