Bothriopsis taeniata

Taxobox
name = "Bothriopsis taeniata"

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
subphylum = Vertebrata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Serpentes
familia = Viperidae
subfamilia = Crotalinae
genus = "Bothriopsis"
species = "B. taeniata"
binomial = "Bothriopsis taeniata"
binomial_authority = (Wagler, 1824)
synonyms = * "Bothrops taeniatus" - Wagler, 1824
* "Lachesis taeniatus" - Fitzinger, 1826
* "Bothrops Castelnaudi" - Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854
* "Atropos Castelnautii" - Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854
* "T" ["eleuraspis"] . "Castelnaui" - Cope, 1860
* "Bothriopsis quadriscutatus" - Peters, 1861
* "Bothriopsis castelnavii" - Cope, 1871
* "Th" ["anatos"] . "Castelnaudi" - Posada Arango, 1889
* "Th" ["anatophis"] . "Castelnaudi" - Posada Arango, 1889
* "Lachesis castelnaudi" - Boulenger, 1896
* "Bothrops castelnaudi" - Amaral, 1925
* "Bothrops castelnaudi" - Hoge, 1966
* "Bothrops taeniata" - Cunha & Nascimento, 1978
* "Bothrops castelnaudi castelnaudi" - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981
* "Bothrops t" ["aeniatus"] . "taeniatus" - Hoogmoed & Gruber, 1983
* "Bothriopsis taeniata" - Campbell & Lamar, 1989
* "Bothriopsis taeniata taeniata" - Campbell & Lamar, 1989
* "Bothriechis taeniatus" - Schätti & Kramer, 1991
* "Bothriechis taeniatus taeniatus" - Golay "et al.", 1993McDiarmid 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).]

:"Common names: speckled forest-pitviper."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 taeniata" is a venomous pitviper species found in the equatorial forests of South America. The specific name is derived from the Greek word "taenia" in reference to the slender body. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.ITIS|ID=634850|taxon="Bothriopsis taeniata"|year=2008|date=24 July]

Description

Adults are usually less than 100 cm in length, although some may grow to as much as 150 cm. The maximum length is 175 cm for a specimen from Tepoe, Suriname. The body is relatively slender with a prehensile tail. The color pattern is extremely complex, varying overall from lavender gray to yellow green, while juveniles undergo considerable ontogenetic color change as they mature into adults. It is distinguished from other members of this genus by having mostly single subcaudal scales and a row of bold white spots where the dorsal and ventral scales meet.

Geographic range

Widespread in the equatorial forests of South America in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. The type locality given is "flumen Amazonum," which according to Vanzolini (1981) refers to the section of river between the mouths of the Tajapuru (01°02'S, 51°02'W) and Negros (03°08'S, 59°55'W) rivers.

Habitat

Inhabits rainforests in lowlands and foothills, as well as moist tropical forests. Usually found in vines and low vegetation in primary forest and along forest edges. It is suspected of living mainly in the forest canopy.

Behavior

Arboreal.

Venom

Only two cases of bites from this species have been documented and both involved severe local swelling of the entire bitten limb. In the second case, the tissue damage was so severe that it led to amputation of the afflicted limb despite antivenin treatment.

ubspecies

ee also

* List of crotaline species and subspecies
*
*
* Snakebite

References

External links

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