Hypnale hypnale

Hypnale hypnale
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Hypnale
Species: H. hypnale
Binomial name
Hypnale hypnale
(Merrem, 1820)
Synonyms
  • [Cophias] Hypnale - Merrem, 1820
  • Trigonoc[ephalus]. hypnale - Schlegel, 1837
  • Trimeresurus ? Ceylonensis - Gray, 1842
  • Trigonocephalus Zara - Gray, 1849
  • Trigonocephalus hypnalis - Blyth In Kelaart, 1852
  • Hypnale affinis - Anderson, 1871
  • Trimaculatus (?) Ceylonensis - Higgins, 1873
  • Ancistrodon hypnale - Boulenger, 1890
  • Ancistrodon millardi - Wall, 1908
  • [Agkistrodon] hypnale - Pope, 1935
  • [Agkistrodon] millardi - Pope, 1935
  • Agcistrodon hypnale - Deraniyagala, 1949
  • Hypnale hypnale - Gloyd, 1977[1]
Common names: hump-nosed viper,[2] Merrem's hump-nosed viper,[3] more.

Hypnale hypnale is a venomous pitviper species found in India and Sri Lanka.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]

Contents

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]

Common names

Hump-nosed viper,[2] Merrem's hump-nosed viper,[3] hump-nosed pit viper,[5] Oriental hump-nosed viper,[6] hump-nosed pitviper,[7] kunakatuwa (Sinhala)[8], Churutta(Malayalam).

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]

Habitat

Found in dense jungle and coffee plantations in hilly areas.[2]

Behavior

Found active during early morning and night. Spends the day in leaf litter and thick bushes. This species can be found on the stream side basking during the sunrise. Although its a slow mover, is capable of fast strikes. It has an irritable disposition and will vibrate its tail when annoyed.[2] Described as nocturnal, terrestrial and aggressive when disturbed.[3]

Venom

Bites from this species, although previously thought to be innocuous, are now known to cause serious complications such as coagulopathy and acute renal failure (ARF). If not treated within a few hours, bites can potentially be fatal for human being.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ 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).
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Hypnale hypnale". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634893. Retrieved 17 November 2006. 
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes -- a natural history. Second Edition. British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. ISBN 0-8014-1095-9 (cloth), ISBN 0-8014-9164-9 (paper).
  7. ^ Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
  8. ^ Checklists of the Snakes of Sri Lanka at the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society. Accessed 12 February 2008.
  9. ^ Kularatna SA, Ratnatunga N. 1999. Severe systemic effects of Merrem's hump-nosed viper bite. Ceylon Med J. 44(4):169-70.

Further reading

  • 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.

External links