NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown Rainbow Boa
Epicrates maurus Gray, 1849
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Epicrates maurus is a species of non-venomous constrictor in the family Boidae, commonly found in the Amazon region of South America. The common name for this species is the brown rainbow boa. This species is semi-arboreal, spending time both on the ground and climbing trees and shrubs, although they are also known to swim. They are nocturnal and primarily active in the middle of the night. Rainbow boas are known for their attractive iridescent sheen on their scales in the sunlight.
Wikipedia contributors, Epicrates maurus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:09:54.535426+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Epicrates maurus Gray, 1849
- Name authority
- Gray, 1849
- Common name
- Brown Rainbow Boa
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Boidae
- Genus
- Epicrates
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyBoidae
- subfamilyBoinae
- genusEpicrates
- speciesEpicrates maurus Gray, 1849
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Epicrates. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rainbow BoaEpicrates cenchria (Linnaeus, 1758) | BoidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Argentinian Rainbow BoaEpicrates alvarezi Abalos, Baez & Nader, 1964 | BoidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paraguayan Rainbow BoaEpicrates crassus Cope, 1862 | BoidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Epicrates assisi Machado, 1944 | BoidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Epicrates cenchria barbouri Stull, 1938 Stull, 1938 | synonym |
| Epicrates maurus guyanensis Matz, 2005 Matz, 2005 | synonym |
| Epicrates cupreus var. concolor Jan, 1863 Jan, 1863 | synonym |
| Epicarsius cupreus Fischer, 1856 Fischer, 1856 | synonym |
| Epicrates maurus colombianus Matz, 2005 Matz, 2005 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Epicrates&species=maurus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6FR54. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.