Trimeresurus elegans
| Trimeresurus elegans |
|
| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
| Phylum: |
Chordata |
| Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
| Class: |
Reptilia |
| Order: |
Squamata |
| Suborder: |
Serpentes |
| Family: |
Viperidae |
| Subfamily: |
Crotalinae |
| Genus: |
Trimeresurus |
| Species: |
T. elegans |
| Binomial name |
Trimeresurus elegans
(Gray, 1849) |
| Synonyms |
- Craspedocephalus elegans - Gray, 1849
- Trimeresurus luteus - Boettger, 1895
- Trimeresurus luteus - Boettger, 1895
- Lachesis luteus - Boulenger, 1896
- Lachesis lutea - Boettger, 1898
- Trimeresurus elegans - Stejneger, 1907
- Trimeresurus mucrosq[uamatus]. elegans - Mell, 1929
- P[rotobothrops]. elegans - Kraus, Mink & Brown, 1996[1]
|
- Common names: elegant pitviper,[2] Sakishima habu,[3] elegant tree viper.[4]
Trimeresurus elegans is a venomous pitviper species found in Japan in the southern Ryukyu Islands. No subspecies are currently recognized.[5] The species is aggressive with large fangs. It can strike at over one half the length of its body.
Description
Scalation includes 25 (sometimes 23) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 179-192 or 182-196 ventral scales, 63-90 subcaudal scales and 8 (sometimes 7 or 9) supralabial scales.[2]
Geographic range
Found in Japan in the southern Ryukyu Islands. The type locality is unknown. Boulenger listed it as "---- ?" while Gray's original 1849 description gives "West Coast of [North?] America." A restriction to "Ishigaki-Shima [Ryukyu Islands, Japan]" was proposed by Stejneger (1907).[1]
See also
References
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
- ^ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Trimeresurus elegans". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634909. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
External links