Mixcoatlus barbouri

Mixcoatlus barbouri
Scientific classification
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Mixcoatlus
Species: M. barbouri
Binomial name
Mixcoatlus barbouri
(Dunn, 1919)
Synonyms
  • Lachesis barbouri Dunn, 1919
  • Bothrops barbouri — Amaral, 1930
  • Trimeresurus barbouri
    — H.M. Smith, 1941
  • Porthidium barbouri
    — Campbell, 1988
  • Cerrophidion barbouri
    — Campbell & Lamar, 1992[2]
  • Mixcoatlus barbouri
    — Jadin et al., 2011[3][4]
Common names: Barbour's montane pitviper.,[5] Barbour's pit viper.[6]

Mixcoatlus barbouri is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Mexico. No subspecies are currently recognized.[3]

Etymology

The specific name, barbouri, is in honor of American herpetologist Thomas Barbour.[7]

Description

Adults generally grow to 30–40 cm (11¾-15¾ inches) in total length, with a maximum of 51.0 cm (20 in). It is terrestrial and moderately stout.[5]

The color pattern consists of a blackish ground color, overlaid with a vague dorsal zig-zag stripe that extends down the flanks, which looks like a series of triangular markings. The skin between the scales is rust-colored, as are the sides of the head.[6]

Geographic range

Mixcoatlus barbouri is found in the highlands of the Sierra Madre del Sur in the state of Guerrero, Mexico.

The type locality given is "Omilteme [or Omiltemi], Guerrero, Mexico".[2]

Habitat

Mountain areas at some 9,000 feet (2,740 m) elevation in rocky pine forests and clearings with bunch grass.[6]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: B1ab(iii) (v3.1, 2001).[1] A species is listed as such when the best available evidence indicates that the geographic range, in the form of extent of occurrence, is estimated to be less than 5,000 km² (1,930 mi²), estimates indicate the population is severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than five locations, and a continuing decline has been observed, inferred or projected in the area, extent and/or quality of habitat. It is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. The population trend is down. Year assessed: 2007.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Canseco-Márquez, L., Campbell, J.A., Ponce-Campos, P., Muñoz-Alonso, A. & García Aguayo, A. (2007). "Mixcoatlus barbouri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. 1 2 Mixcoatlus barbouri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Jadin, RC; Smith, EN; Campbell, JA (2011). "Unraveling a tangle of Mexican serpents: a systematic revision of highland pitvipers". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (3): 949–951. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00748.x.
  5. 1 2 Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp., 1,500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
  6. 1 2 3 Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
  7. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cerrophidion barbouri, p. 16).
  8. ↑ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 14 September 2007.

Further reading

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