Tropidolaemus
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 Wagler's Viper, Tropidolaemus wagleri
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Common names: temple vipers.
Tropidolaemus is a genus of venomous pit vipers found in southern India and Southeast Asia.[1] Currently, two species are recognized and no subspecies.[2]
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[edit] Description
Tropidolaemus are sexually dimorphic. Females can attain lengths of up to a meter, but males are typically only average around 75 cm. They have a distinctly broad, triangular shaped head and a relatively thin body.
They are found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, which often referred to as "phases". Some sources even classify the different phases as subspecies. Phases vary greatly from having a black or brown coloration as a base, with orange and yellow banding to others having a light green as the base color, with yellow or orange banding, and many variations therein.
[edit] Geographic range
Southern India and Southeast Asia.[1]
[edit] Behavior
These species are primarily arboreal, and are excellent climbers. They spend most of their time nearly motionless, in wait for prey to pass by. They may be diurnal or nocturnal, with their activity period depending on the temperature.[3]
[edit] Feeding
The diet includes small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs.[3]
[edit] Reproduction
The average litter consists of between twelve and fifteen young, with the neonates measuring 12-15 cm in length.[3]
[edit] Species
| Species[2] | Authority[2] | Common name | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. huttoni | Smith, 1949 | Hutton's pit viper | The High Wavy Mountains in Madura district, southern India. |
| T. wagleriT | (Boie, 1827) | Wagler's pit viper | Southern Thailand and West Malaysia. In Indonesia on Sumatra and the nearby islands of the Riau Archipelago, Bangka, Billiton, Nias, the Mentawai Islands (Siberut), Natuna, Karimata, Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan), Sulawesi and Buton. In the Philippines on the islands of Balabac, Basilan, Bohol, Dinagat, Jolo, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanoa, Negros, Palawan, Samar and Tumindao. |
T) Type species.[1]
[edit] Taxonomy
The two species here were once classified as Trimeresurus, but were given their own genus due to distinct morphological and venom characteristics.
[edit] Cited references
- ^ a b c d e 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 Tropidolaemus (TSN 634417). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 3 November 2006.
- ^ a b c Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
[edit] External links
- Genus Tropidolaemus at the EMBL Reptile Database
- The Wagler Viper Page at Kingsnake.com. Accessed 27 September 2006.
- WhoZoo: Wagler's Pit Viper at WhoZoo. Accessed 27 September 2006.
