Bothriopsis pulchra

Taxobox
name = "Bothriopsis pulchra"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
subphylum = Vertebrata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Serpentes
familia = Viperidae
subfamilia = Crotalinae
genus = "Bothriopsis"
species = "B. pulchra"
binomial = "Bothriopsis pulchra"
binomial_authority = (Peters, 1862)
synonyms = * "Trigonocephalus pulcher" - Peters, 1862
* "Lachesis pulcher" - Boulenger, 1896
* "Bothrops albocarinata" - Shreve, 1934
* "Bothrops alticola" - Parker, 1934
* "Bothrops albocarinatus" - Peters & Orejas-Miranda, 1970
* "Bothrops alticolus" - Peters & Orejas-Miranda, 1970
* "Bothriopsis albocarinata" - Campbell & Lamar, 1989
* "Bothriopsis alticola" - Campbell & Lamar, 1989
* "Bothrops pulcher" - Campbell & Lamar, 1989
* "Bothriechis albocarinata" - Schätti, Kramer & Touzet, 1990
* "Bothriechis alticolus" - Schätti & Kramer, 1991
* "Bothriechis oligolepis albocarinatus" - Schätti & Kramer, 1993
* "Bothriopsis pulchra" - McDiarmid, Campbell & Touré, 1999McDiarmid 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: Andean 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 pulchra" is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The specific name is Latin, meaning "beautiful", in reference to the color pattern. No subspecies are currently recognized.ITIS|ID=634848|taxon="Bothriopsis pulchra"|year=2008|date=11 August]

Description

A small and moderately slender species, only two lengths are given by Campbell and Lamar (2004): 76.4 cm for a specimen from Colombia and 65.9 cm for the type of "Bothrops alticola", although the tail was incomplete.

The scalation includes 19-23 (usually 21) rows of keeled dorsal scales, 167-178/173-181 ventral scales in males/females and 63-64/53-60 subcaudal scales in males/females, with a varying number towards the end of the tail being divided. On the head there are 5-8 keeled intersupraocular scales, 7-9 (usually 7) supralabial scales, the second of which contacts the prelacunal, and 8-10 sublabial scales.

The color pattern consists of a greenish yellow or medium to dark green ground color that usually becomes more obscure towards the front of the body. The dorsal pattern is a series of 29 bands or transverse black spots that tend to fuse with each other towards the front part of the body. All of this is overlaid with a pattern of white dorsal keels. The belly is yellow with black mottling that usually increases down the body so that the tail is a uniform dark color. The end of the tail tends to be cream or pink with a rounded terminal spine. On the head, a cheek stripe is present that extends to the angle of the mouth. Above it is a parallel black stripe that runs from the supraoculars to the angle of the jaw. The labial scales are usually a very dark green color without any mottling. The iris is yellow and the tongue black.

Geographic range

Found in South America on the eastern slopes of the Andes from south-central Colombia to southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The type locality given is "Quito" (Ecuador); a mistake according to Peters (1955).

ee also

* List of crotaline species and subspecies
*
*
* Snakebite

References

External links

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