Bothriechis supraciliaris

Bothriechis supraciliaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Bothriechis
Species: B. supraciliaris
Binomial name
Bothriechis supraciliaris
(Taylor, 1954)
Synonyms[1]
  • Bothrops schlegelii supraciliaris
    Taylor, 1954
  • Bothriechis supraciliaris
    — Solórzano et al., 1998

Bothriechis supraciliaris, or the blotched palm-pit viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Costa Rica.[2][3][4][5]

Description

B. supraciliaris is usually 50–60 cm (20–24 in) in total length (including tail), but can reach 80 cm (31 in).[6] Its body colour varies. It can be either bluish-green, reddish-brown, or reddish-maroon, but usually it is bright-green or moss-green. The body is circular, ovoid and rhomboid in cross-section, with irregular dorsal blotches, that sometimes form crossbands. The belly is light. There are 21-23 dorsal scales rows at midbody. The head carries dark stripes and prominent scales that are located above the eyes.[6] The only sexual dimorphism noted is that females of the species tend to be longer and thicker than males.[7]

Geographic range

The geographic range of B. supraciliaris is limited to mountains near San Isidro del General, San Jose Province, Costa Rica.[4]

Taxonomy

B. supraciliaris was formerly considered a subspecies of B. schlegelii, the eyelash palm-pitviper.[2][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Bothriechis supraciliaris". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. 1 2 O'Shea, Mark (March 2008). Venomous Snakes of the World. New Holland Publishers. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-84773-086-2.
  3. ↑ "Taxonomic Information for Bothriechis supraciliaris". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Facts about Bothriechis supraciliaris". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Lomonte, Bruno; Tsai, Wan-Chih; Bonilla, Fabián; Solórzano, Alejandro; Solano, Gabriela; Angulo, Yamileth; Gutiérrez, José María; Calvete, Juan J. (2012). "Snake venomics and toxicological profiling of the arboreal pitviper Bothriechis supraciliaris from Costa Rica". Toxicon 59 (5): 592–599. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.01.005. ISSN 0041-0101.
  6. 1 2 "Bothriechis supraciliaris". AFPMB Living Hazards Database. Armed Forces Pest Management Board. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Solórzano, Alejandro; Gómez, Luis D.; Monge-Nájera, Julián; Crother, Brian I. (1998). "Redescription and validation of Bothriechis supraciliaris". Revista de Biología Tropical 46 (2): 1001–1013. ISSN 0034-7744.
  8. ↑ Lillywhite, Harvey B. (April 2014). How Snakes Work: Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes. Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-19-538037-8.

Further reading


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