Trimeresurus puniceus

Trimeresurus puniceus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Trimeresurus
Species: T. puniceus
Binomial name
Trimeresurus puniceus
(Kuhl, 1824)
Synonyms
  • [Craspedocephalus] puniceus Kuhl, 1824
  • Trigonocephalus puniceus
    – Kuhl, 1824
  • [Cophias] punicea
    – F. Boie, 1827
  • Atropos puniceus
    – Wagler, 1830
  • Atropos acontia Gray, 1842
  • Trigonocephalus puniceus
    – Schlegel, 1824
  • Trimeresurus puniceus
    – Boettger, 1892
  • Lachesis puniceus
    – Boulenger, 1896
  • Trimeresurus wiroti
    Trutnau, 1981
  • Trimeresurus puniceus puniceus – Cox, 1991
  • Trimeresurus puniceus wiroti – Cox, 1991
  • T[rimeresurus]. puniceus
    – Nutphand, Cox, Trutnau &
    H.M. Smith, 1991    [1]
  • Trimeresurus (Craspedocephalus) puniceus – David et al., 2011[2]
Common names: flat-nosed pitviper,[3] flat-nosed pit viper, ashy pit viper,[4] more.

Trimeresurus puniceus is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Southeast Asia. No subspecies are currently recognized.[5]

Description

Adults may attain a total length of 64 cm (25 in), which includes a prehensile tail 9 cm (3.5 in) long.[6]

Dorsally, T. puniceus is gray, brown, or red, with dark blotches or crossbars, which may merge to form an undulating stripe. On each side of the head, behind the eye, is a light streak. Ventrally, it is powdered with dark brown, and usually has lateral series of yellowish spots.[6]

Scalation includes 21-23 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 158-173 ventral scales, 41-56 subcaudal scales, and 10-13 supralabial scales.[3] The dorsal scales are weekly keeled, and the anal plate is entire.[6]

Common names

Flat-nosed pitviper,[3] flat-nosed pit viper, ashy pit viper.[4]

Two more common names, Wirot's pit viper and Siamese palm viper, which were applied to T. wiroti, are now part of the synonymy of T. puniceus.[7]

Geographic range

Found in southern Thailand, West and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), and Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, the Mentawai Islands of Siberut and North Pagai, Simalur, and Java). The type locality given is "Java".[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. Geitje Books. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
  4. 1 2 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.
  5. ↑ "Trimeresurus puniceus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the...Viperidæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. (Lachesis puniceus, pp. 560-561.)
  7. ↑ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
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