Bothrops lanceolatus

Bothrops lanceolatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Bothrops
Species: B. lanceolatus
Binomial name
Bothrops lanceolatus
(Bonnaterre, 1790)
Synonyms
  • Vipera Caerulescens - Laurenti, 1768
  • [Coluber] glaucus - Gmelin, 1788
  • C[oluber]. Lanceolatus - Lacépède, 1789
  • C[oluber]. Brasiliensis - Lacépède, 1789
  • C[oluber]. Tigrinus - Lacépède, 1789
  • C[oluber]. lanceolatus - Bonaterre, 1790
  • C[oluber]. hastatus - Suckow, 1798
  • Vipera lanceolata - Latreille In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801
  • Vipera brasiliniana - Latreille In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801
  • Coluber Megaera - Shaw, 1802
  • Vipera tigrina - Daudin, 1803
  • Vipera brasiliana - Daudin, 1803
  • Trigonocephalus lanceolatus - Oppel, 1811
  • [Trigonocephalus] tigrinus - Oppel, 1811
  • [Cophias] lanceolatus - Merrem, 1820
  • Trigonoceph[alus]. lanceolatus - Schinz, 1822
  • Craspedocephalus lanceolatus - Fitzinger, 1826
  • [Bothrops] lanceolatus - Wagler, 1830
  • T[rigonocephalus]. lanceolatus - Schlegel, 1837
  • Bothrops cenereus - Gray, 1842
  • C[rasedocephalus]. brasiliensis - Wucherer, 1863
  • Bothrops brasiliensis - Cope, 1875
  • Bothrops glaucus - Vaillant, 1887
  • Lachesis lanceolatus - Boulenger, 1896
  • Lachesis lanceolata - Boettger, 1898
  • Bothrops lanceolata - Hoge, 1953
  • Vipera coerulescens - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981
  • Bothrops l[anceolatus]. lanceolatus - Sandner Montilla, 1990
  • Bothrops lanceolatus - Golay et al., 1993
  • Vipera coerulescens - Golay et al., 1993[1]
Common names: fer-de-lance, Martinican pit viper,[2] Martinique lancehead.[3]

Bothrops lanceolatus is a venomous pitviper species generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique. No one has satisfactorily explained why it has flourished there and is unknown on nearly all other Caribbean islands. Some reserve the name fer-de-lance for this species, while others apply that name to other Bothrops species as well. No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]

Contents

Geographic range

Bothrops lanceolatus is generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. However, the British Museum of Natural History has two specimens from Guadeloupe. The type locality according to Bonnaterre (1790:11) is "La Martinique".[1]

Vexillological trivia

The species is depicted on the unofficial flag of Martinique, one of the few examples (the First Navy Jack of the United States being another) of snakes being depicted on flags.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Bothrops lanceolatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634870. Retrieved 3 November 2006. 

External links