Lachesis stenophrys
| Lachesis stenophrys | |
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| Species: | L. stenophrys
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| Lachesis stenophrys Cope, 1875
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- Common names: Central American bushmaster.[2]
Lachesis stenophrys is a venomous pitviper species found in Central America and northern South America. The specific name is derived the the Greek words stenos and ophrys, meaning "narrow" and "brow" or "eyebrow".[3] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
Description
Adults commonly grow to more than 200 cm and may exceed 330 cm in length. Ditmars (1910) reported a specimen from Costa Rica that was 11 feet 4 inches (348.7 cm). Many accounts exist of much larger specimens, but these are poorly documented. Solórzano (2004) cites historical records that put the maximum length at 360 cm. It has a broadly rounded head and a snout that is not elevated. Typically, the species has a pronounced middorsal ridge that is most distinct on the last quarter of the body.[3]
The color pattern is darker than that of L. muta.[2]
Geographic range
Found in Central America in the Atlantic lowlands of southern Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, as well as the Pacific lowlands of central and eastern Panama. In South America it occurs in the Pacific lowlands of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, the Caribbean coast of northwestern Colombia and inland along the Magdalena and Cauca river valleys. The type locality given is "Sipurio" (Limón Province, Costa Rica).[1]
Habitat
Occurs in tropical rainforest and lower montane wet forest where annual precipitation averages 2,000-4,000 mm, which is heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. In the drier areas of Nicaragua, it can be found in gallery forests as well as forests that are seasonally dry, but then never far from sources of water. This species is hardly ever encountered outside of old growth forest.[3]
Taxonomy
Campbell and Lamar (2004) also recognize a fourth species, L. acrochorda (García, 1896),[3] which McDiarmid et al. (1999) treat as a synonym of L. stenophrys.[1] Campbell and Lamar refer to it as the Chochoan bushmaster and described it as being found in western Panama and northwestern Colombia.[3]
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 Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ "Lachesis stenophrys". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 4 August.
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External links
- Lachesis stenophrys at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 August 2008.
- Lachesis acrochorda at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 August 2008.