Trimeresurus malabaricus

Trimeresurus malabaricus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genus:	Trimeresurus
Species:	T. malabaricus
Binomial name
Trimeresurus malabaricus (Jerdon, 1854)
Synonyms
Trigonocephalus (Cophias) malabaricus - Jerdon, 1854 Trigonocephalus (Cophias) wardii - Jerdon, 1854 Trimesurus Malabaricus - Beddome, 1962 Trimesurus Wardii - Beddome, 1962 Trimeresurus anamallensis - Günther, 1964 Crotalus Trimeres[urus]. anamallensis - Higgins, 1873 Crotalus Trimeres[urus]. Wardii - Higgins, 1873 B[othrops]. anamallensis - Müller, 1878 Lachesis anamallensis - Boulenger, 1896 Lachesis malabaricus - Rao, 1917 Lachesis coorgensis - Rao, 1917 Trimeresurus malabaricus - M.A. Smith, 1943[1]

Common names: rock viper,^[2] Malabar rock pitviper.^[3]

Trimeresurus malabaricus is a venomous pitviper species found in southwestern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.^[4]

Description

T. malabaricus.

Dorsal scale rows number 21 or 19 at mid body, weakly keeled. Ventral scales in the males number 143-158 and females 136-159. Anal scale entire. Subcaudals paired and numbering 50-63 in males, 44-54 in females. Internasals large and usually touching. There are 9 or 10 supralabials, the first completely separated from the nasal. There is a single row of scales between supralabials and elongate subocular. The temporal scales are smooth or obliquely keeled.^[5]

Geographic range

Found in southern and western India at 600-2,000 m elevation. The type locality given is "all the forests of the West Coast ... S. India" (the Western Ghats of southwestern India.^[1]

Behavior

They are nocturnal and usually inactive in the day, sometimes seen basking on rocks or trees near streams.

Venom

Slow but capable of fast strikes. Venom causes moderate pain and swelling to humans and subsides in a day or two.^[5]

See also

• List of crotaline species and subspecies
• Trimeresurus by common name
• Trimeresurus by taxonomic synonyms
• 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. ^ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
3. ^ Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
4. ^ "Trimeresurus malabaricus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634923. Retrieved 11 March 2007. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Whitaker R, Captain A. 2004. Snakes of India, The Field Guide. Draco books.

Further reading

• Gumprecht, A.; Tillack, F.; Orlov, N.L.; Captain, A. & Ryabow, S. 2004 Asian Pit Vipers. Geitje Books, Berlin, 368 pp.
• Jerdon,T.C. 1853 Catalogue of the Reptiles inhabiting the Peninsula of India. Part 2. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal xxii: 522-534 [1853]

External links

T. malabaricus, brown morph.

• Trimeresurus malabaricus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 November 2007.