| Tropidolaemus | |
|---|---|
| Wagler's viper, T. wagleri | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Crotalinae |
| Genus: | Tropidolaemus Wagler, 1830 |
| Synonyms | |
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Tropidolaemus is a genus of venomous pitvipers found in southern India and Southeast Asia.[1] Currently, two species are recognized and no subspecies.[2]
Contents |
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 colours 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 colouration as a base, with orange and yellow banding to others having a light green as the base colour, with yellow or orange banding, and many variations therein.
The Tropidolaemus is native to Southern India and Southeast Asia.[1]
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]
The diet includes small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs.[3]
The average litter consists of between twelve and fifteen young, with the neonates measuring 12-15 cm in length.[3]
| Species[2] | Taxon author[2] | Common name[3] | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. huttoni | (M.A. Smith, 1949) | Hutton's tree viper | The High Wavy Mountains in Madurai 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]
The two species here were once classified as Trimeresurus, but were given their own genus due to distinct morphological characteristics.
One new species, T. laticinctus, was described recently by Kuch, Gumprecht and Melaun (2007). It is found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The type locality is "between L. Posso and Tomini Bay, Celebes" [= between Lake Poso and Tomini Bay, Province of Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia."[4][5]