Ovophis monticola

Ovophis monticola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genus:	Ovophis
Species:	O. monticola
Binomial name
Ovophis monticola (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms
Parias maculata - Gray, 1853 Trimeresurus monticola - Günther, 1864 Crotalus Trimeres[urus]. monticola - Higgins, 1873 Trimeresurus monticola - Boulenger, 1890 Lachesis monticola - Boulenger, 1896 Trimeresurus monticola monticola - Mell, 1931 Agkistrodon monticola - Pope, 1932 Trimeresurus tonkinensis - Bourret, 1934 (possible nomen nudum) Trimeresurus tonkinensis - Bourret, 1934 T[rimeresurus]. m[onticola]. tonkinensis - Deuve, 1970 Trimeresurus monticola - Saint-Girons, 1972 Ovophis monticola - Burger In Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis monticola monticola - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis tonkinensis - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis tonkinensis - Golay et al., 1993 Ovophis monticola monticola - Orlov & Helfenberger, 1997[1]

Common names: mountain pitviper,^[2] mountain viper,^[3] more.

Ovophis monticola is a venomous pitviper species found in Asia. Currently, five subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.^[4]

Description

Total length males 49 cm, females 110 cm; tail length males 8 cm, females 15 cm.^[5]

The head has a short snout, a little more than twice the length of the diameter of the eye. The crown is covered by small scales rather than large shields, while the scales are usually smooth, feebly imbricate. The first upper labial is not fused to the nasal and is completely separated by a suture. The supraoculars are large, 5-9 scales in a line between them. The internasals are usually not in contact with one another, separated by 2 small suprapostrostral scales. There are 7-10 upper labials, the second of which is usually fused to the scale bordering the facial sensory pit anteriorly. The fourth and fifth upper labials are beneath the eye, but separated from orbit by a series of 2-4 small scales.^[5]

The body is stout. The dorsal scales are smooth or weakly keeled, in 23-25, occasionally in 19 or 21 longitudinal rows at midbody. Ventral scales and subcaudals (Myanmar, northeastern India and adjacent areas of China and Thailand) 137-176 and 36-62 respectively, subcaudals mixed paired and single, occasionally all unpaired (ventrals and subcaudals for southern China, Vietnam, Laos: 127-144 and 36-54, and Malaysian Peninsula: 133-137 and 22-28 respectively [fide Smith 1943:509]).^[5]

Common names

Mountain pitviper,^[2] mountain viper, Chinese pit viper, spotted pit viper, Arisan habu,^[3] mountain pit viper, Chinese mountain pit viper.^[6]

Geographic range

Found in Asia in Nepal, India (Assam, Sikkim), Myanmar, Tibet, China (Chekiang, Fujian, Szechwan, Yunnan, Xizang), Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, West Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (Sumatra). The type locality is described as "Sikkim" (India).^[1]

Subspecies

Subspecies[4]	Taxon author[4]	Common name[2]	Geographic range[2]
O. m. convictus	(Stoliczka, 1870)	Indo-Malayan mountain pitviper	Indonesia (Sumatra), West Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam as far north as the central Annam Mountains.
O. m. makazayazaya	(Takahashi, 1922)	Taiwan mountain pitviper	Taiwan: Chuchuku, Arishan, Makazayazaya and Taipei.
O. m. monticola	(Günther, 1864)	Mountain pitviper	Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts), China (Sichuan, Tibet Autonomous Region, Yunnan, India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttaranchal and West Bengal), Myanmar (Chin, Kachin and Shan) and Nepal.
O. m. zayuensis	(Jiang, 1977)	Zayuan mountain pitviper	China, Tibet Autonomous Region: in Zayü and Mêdog counties at 1,800-2,200 m elevation.
O. m. zhaokentangi	Zhao, 1995	Gaoligong mountain pitviper	Goaligong Shan, north of Pianma, Lushui County, Yunnan Province, China.

See also

• List of crotaline species and subspecies
• Crotalinae by common name
• Crotalinae by taxonomic synonyms
• Snakebite

References

1. ^ ^{a b} McDiarmid 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).
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
3. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Ovophis monticola". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634899. Retrieved 24 August 2007. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Leviton AE, Wogan GOU, Koo MS, Zug GR, Lucas RS, Vindum JV. 2003. The Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Myanmar, Illustrated Checklist with Keys. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 54 (24):407-462. PDF at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles. Accessed 8 August 2006.
6. ^ Brown JH. 1973. Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. ISBN 0-398-02808-7.

Further reading

• Günther, A. 1864 The Reptiles of British India. London (Taylor & Francis), xxvii + 452 pp.
• Tillack, F.; Shah, K.B.; Gumprecht, A. & Husain, A. 2003 Anmerkungen zur Verbreitung, Morphologie, Biologie, Haltung und Nachzucht der Berg-Grubenotter Ovophis monticola monticola (Günther, 1864) (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae). Sauria 25 (4): 29-46

External links

• Ovophis monticola at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.
• Image of O. monticola at Institute of Toxicology and Genetics. Accessed 25 February 2007.
• Image of O. m. monticola at Institute of Toxicology and Genetics. Accessed 25 February 2007.
• Image of O. m. orientalis at Institute of Toxicology and Genetics. Accessed 25 February 2007.