Bothrops pulcher
| Bothriopsis pulchra | |
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| Species: | B. pulchra
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| Binomial name | |
| Bothriopsis pulchra (Peters, 1862)
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- Common names: Andean forest-pitviper.[2]
Bothriopsis pulchra is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The specific name is Latin, meaning "beautiful", in reference to the color pattern.[2] No subspecies are currently recognized.[3]
Description
A small and moderately slender species, only two lengths are given by Campbell and Lamar (2004): 76.4 cm for a specimen from Colombia and 65.9 cm for the type of Bothrops alticola, although the tail was incomplete.[2]
The scalation includes 19-23 (usually 21) rows of keeled dorsal scales, 167-178/173-181 ventral scales in males/females and 63-64/53-60 subcaudal scales in males/females, with a varying number towards the end of the tail being divided. On the head there are 5-8 keeled intersupraocular scales, 7-9 (usually 7) supralabial scales, the second of which contacts the prelacunal, and 8-10 sublabial scales.[2]
The color pattern consists of a greenish yellow or medium to dark green ground color that usually becomes more obscure towards the front of the body. The dorsal pattern is a series of 29 bands or transverse black spots that tend to fuse with each other towards the front part of the body. All of this is overlaid with a pattern of white dorsal keels. The belly is yellow with black mottling that usually increases down the body so that the tail is a uniform dark color. The end of the tail tends to be cream or pink with a rounded terminal spine. On the head, a cheek stripe is present that extends to the angle of the mouth. Above it is a parallel black stripe that runs from the supraoculars to the angle of the jaw. The labial scales are usually a very dark green color without any mottling. The iris is yellow and the tongue black.[2]
Geographic range
Found in South America on the eastern slopes of the Andes from south-central Colombia to southern Ecuador[1] and northern Peru.[2] The type locality given is "Quito" (Ecuador); a mistake according to Peters (1955).[1]
See also
- List of crotaline species and subspecies
- Crotalinae by common name
- Crotalinae by taxonomic synonyms
- Snakebite
References
- ^ a b c McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b c d e f Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ "Bothriopsis pulchra". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
External links
- Bothriopsis pulchra at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 August 2008.