- Ophryacus
-
Ophryacus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Viperidae Subfamily: Crotalinae Genus: Ophryacus
Cope, 1887[1]- Common names: Mexican horned pitvipers.[2]
Ophryacus is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Mexico. The name is derived from the Greek words ophrys and the suffix -acutus, which means "brow" and "belonging to"; an allusion to the characteristic hornlike scales over the eyes.[2] Currently two species are recognized and no subspecies.[3]
Contents
Description
The larger of the two species, O. undulatus, grows to between 55 and 70 cm in length. They are characterized by the presence of a single scale over they eye that takes the shape of either a long and relatively slender spine, or a flattened horn. Often, other supraocular scales are also shaped in such a way that they project slightly.[2]
Geographic range
Restricted to the mountains of central and southern Mexico.[1]
Species
Species[3] Taxon author[3] Common name[2] Geographic range[1] O. melanurus (Müller, 1924) Black-tailed horned pitviper The mountains of southern Mexico (southern Puebla and Oaxaca at elevations of 1600-2400 m. O. undulatusT (Jan, 1859) Mexican horned pitviper The mountains of central and southern Mexico (Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Guerrero) west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at elevations of 1800-2800 m. T) Type species.[1]
See also
- List of crotaline species and subspecies
- Crotalinae by common name
- Crotalinae by taxonomic synonyms
- Snakebite
References
- ^ a b c d 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).
- ^ a b c d Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ a b c "Ophryacus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585665. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
Further reading
- O'Shea, M. 2005. Venomous Snakes of the World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12436-1.
External links
- Ophryacus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.
Categories:- Crotalinae
- Endemic fauna of Mexico
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
