Saint Lucia lancehead
| Saint Lucia lancehead | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Crotalinae |
| Genus: | Bothrops |
| Species: | B. caribbaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Bothrops caribbaeus (Garman, 1887) | |
| Synonyms | |
The Saint Lucia lancehead or Saint Lucia pit viper (Bothrops caribbaeus) is a species of venomous snake which is endemic to the West Indies.[1]
Geographic range
It is found only on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.[1]
Description
It can reach a total length in excess of 1.3 m (4.3 ft).[1] It is gray to gray-brown, with an irregular temporal stripe, and gray or brown markings that are distinct mid-dorsally and fade towards its sides.[1]
Conservation status
The snake is threatened and today limited to two areas of the island.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 95–96, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
- ↑ "Saving the snakes of St Lucia", The Guardian Weekly, February 5, 2012, retrieved February 17, 2012.
Further reading
- Garman, S. 1887. On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass.
Proc. American Philos. Soc. Philadelphia 24: 278-286. ("Trigonocephalus caribbæus, sp n.", p. 285.) - Breach, K. (2009). Quantifying the Interactions Between Humans and Endemic Pit vipers (Bothrops caribbaeus) in Saint Lucia (MSc thesis, Imperial College London). http://www.iccs.org.uk/wp-content/thesis/consci/2009/Breach.docx
External links
- Bothrops caribbaeus at the Encyclopedia of Life
- Bothrops caribbaeus at the Reptile Database
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