Hypnale hypnale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Hypnale hypnale (Merrem, 1820) |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Common names: hump-nosed viper,[2] Merrem's hump-nosed viper.[3]
Hypnale hypnale is a venomous pit viper species found in India and Sri Lanka.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Description
Grows to an average of 30-45 cm in length.[2] The Armed Forces Pest Management Board states 0.4-0.6 m in length.[3]
Its build is that of a typical viperid with a stout body and a wide head. The snout is pointed and turned upwards,[2] ending in a hump.[3] The frontal and parietal shields are large, but those on the snout and small and irregular.[2]
The color pattern is grayish with heavy brown mottling, overlaid with a double row of large dark spots. The belly is brownish or yellowish with dark mottling. The tip of the tail is yellow or reddish.[2]
[edit] Geographic range
Peninsular India to the Western Ghats as far north as 16° and Sri Lanka, according to M.A. Smith (1943). The type locality given is "Archipelago, Arabia, Aegypto." Schlegel (1837) proposed that the type locality be restricted to "Ceylon (Sri Lanka)."[1]
[edit] Habitat
Found in dense jungle and coffee plantations in hilly areas.[2]
[edit] Behavior
During the day it is often found coiled in bushes. It has an irritable disposition and will vibrate its tail when annoyed.[2] Described as nocturnal, terrestrial and aggressive when disturbed.[3]
[edit] Venom
Bites from this species are fairly frequent, but serious consequences have not been reported.[2] However, the venom can cause serious systemic effects that make victims feel ill for prolonged periods.[3]
[edit] Cited references
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b c d e f g h U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
- ^ a b c d e Defense Pest Management Information Analysis Center. 2001. Regional Disease Vector Ecology Profile for South Central Asia. 219 pp. PDF at Armed Forces Pest Management Board. Accessed 17 November 2006.
- ^ Hypnale hypnale (TSN 634893). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 17 November 2006.
[edit] Other references
- Smith MA. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the whole of the Indo-Chinese region. Vol. III. Serpentes. Taylor & Francis, London. xii + 583 pp., 1 map.
[edit] External links
- Species Hypnale hypnale at the Species2000 Database
