Candoia paulsoni tasmai
These boa are found on Halmahera Island. While similar to the Solomon Island Ground Boa, C. p. paulsoni, they are separated to the East of the solomon islands with Papua New Guinea in the middle. Halmahera Island is in Indonesia. No small amount of land and water separate the two subspecies and they should be regarded as quite distinct. Hopefully that will be respected in captivity and these boa will be preserved as the unique animals that they are by breeders.
These boa are smaller than the Solomon Island Ground Boa. It seems females reach about three feet and males are much smaller, around 18 inches. They are also not nearly as variable in color. I find the maroon-reddish ones beautiful and that is the focus of my efforts with these boas. The first time I stared one in the face up close (she is pictured below) I was immediately reminded of the Satanic Leaf Tail Gecko. I’m not sure why I made that connection but I did. The colors are similar and to me she had a no nonsense demeanor combined with that chiseled and angular head that made a real impression. They have quickly become highly prized boa in my collection. I have two females with this deep burnt maroon color and I find myself peeking in on them often.
These are quite calm boa and easy to handle though they have an impressive feeding response. They do have a good deal in common with C. p. paulsoni only in a smaller and possibly what some keepers regard as a less colorful package. Much of what I have written about how I keep these boa would redundant to repeat here so please navigate to my page devoted to the Solomon Island Boa for that information.
Here are some photos of C. p. tasmai in my collection: