Crotalus triseriatus

Crotalus triseriatus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genus:	Crotalus
Species:	C. triseriatus
Binomial name
Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830)
Synonyms
[Urosophus] triseriatus - Wagler, 1830 Crot[alus]. triseriatus - Gray, 1831 Crotalus lugubris - Jan, 1859 Caudisona lugubris - Cope, 1860 C[audisona]. triseriata - Cope, 1867 Crotalus pallidus - Günther, 1895 Crotalus triseriatus - Boulenger, 1896 Crotalus triseriatus triseriatus - Klauber In Githens & George, 1931 Crotalus triseriatus anahuacus - Gloyd, 1940[1]

Common names: Mexican dusky rattlesnake,^[2] dusky rattlesnake.^[3]

Crotalus triseriatus is a venomous pitviper species found in Mexico. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.^[4]

Description

Adult male specimens commonly grow to lengths greater than 60 cm, with females somewhat smaller. The maximum recorded length is 68.3 cm.^[2]

Geographic range

Found in Mexico, along the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau in the highlands of the Transverse Volcanic Cordillera, including the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, México, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz. The type locality given is "Mexico." A restriction to "Alvarez, San Luis Potosí, Mexico" was proposed by Smith and Taylor (1950).^[1]

Habitat

Occurs in pine-oak forest, boreal forest, coniferous forest and bunchgrass grasslands. On Volcán Orizaba it is found at very high altitudes. There, the snow line comes down to about 4,572 m, while green plants can be found up to 4,573 m: the species has been found within this zone. However, they are most common at 2,700-3,350 m elevation.^[2]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).^[5] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable. Year assessed: 2007.^[6]

Feeding

Food items reportedly found in the stomachs of this species include a frog, a murid rodent (Neotomodon alstoni), lizards, other small mammals, crickets, and salamanders.^[2]

Venom

Bite symptoms from this species are reported to include intense pain, swelling, faintness and cold perspiration.^[2]

Subspecies

Subspecies[4]	Taxon author[4]	Common name[3]	Geographic range[1][2]
C. t. armstrongi	Campbell, 1979	Western dusky rattlesnake	Mexico: Michoacán, Morelos, México, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
C. t. triseriatus	(Wagler, 1830)	Dusky rattlesnake	Mexico: Jalisco and Nayarit.

Taxonomy

In the relatively recent past, two additional subspecies were described:^[2]

• C. t. anahuacus - Gloyd, 1940. Currently regarded as a junior synonym of C. .t. triseriatus.
• C. t. quadrangularis - Harris and Simmons, 1978. Currently regarded as a junior synonym of C. aquilus.

See also

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} 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 e f g} 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.
3. ^ ^{a b} Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Crotalus triseriatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585832. Retrieved 1 August 2007. 
5. ^ Crotalus triseriatus at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 13 September 2007.
6. ^ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 13 September 2007.

External links

• Crotalus triseriatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.