Bothriopsis
Encyclopedia
- Common names: forest-pitvipers.
Bothriopsis is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of venomous
Venomous snake
"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...
pitvipers
Crotalinae
The Crotalinae, commonly known as "pit vipers" or crotaline snakes, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Asia and the Americas. They are distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on either side of the head...
found in eastern Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and most of northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words bothros for "pit", and -opsis for "face" or "appearance"; obviously an allusion to the heat-sensitive loreal pit
Loreal pit
The Loreal pit is the deep depression, or fossa, in the loreal area on either side of the head in crotaline snakes . It is located behind the nostril and in front of the eye, but below the line that runs between the centers of each. It is the external opening to an extremely sensitive infrared...
organs. Seven species are currently recognized.
Description
Members of this genus vary in size from small to as much as 150 cm in length. All have a prehensile tail and cryptic color patterns that are typically arboreal adaptations. These color patterns may include a lot of green, and may or may not include pale or dark markings.Geographic range
Found in eastern PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and most of northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, including the Pacific lowlands of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, the Andes Mountains from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Colombia to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
and the Atlantic forests of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Species
| Species | Taxon author | Subsp.* | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. bilineata Bothriopsis bilineata Bothriopsis bilineata is a venomous pitviper species found in the Amazon region of South America. A pale green arboreal species that may reach a meter in length, it is an important cause of snakebite throughout the entire Amazon region... |
(Wied-Neuwied, 1825) | 1 | Two-striped forest-pitviper | Amazon Amazon Basin The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela... region of South America South America South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... : Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... , Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south... , Guyana Guyana Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British... , Surinam, French Guiana French Guiana French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... , Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border... , Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... and Bolivia Bolivia Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America... . An isolated population is known from the Atlantic versant of southeastern Brazil. |
| B. medusa Bothriopsis medusa Bothriopsis medusa is a venomous pitviper species found in Venezuela. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:Adults usually grow to 50-70 cm in length. The maximum reported length is 80 cm or slightly longer... |
(Sternfeld, 1920) | 0 | Venezuelan forest-pitviper | Venezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa (coastal range), the Federal District Venezuelan Capital District The Capital District of Venezuela is a federal district corresponding to the capital Caracas. It has an area of 433 km² and there is only one administrative division , Libertador, which contains about half City of Caracas. It is the seat of the federal government and the head of the public... and the states of Aragua Aragua (state) Aragua State is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata and Choroni... , Bolívar Bolívar (state) Bolívar State , is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital city is Ciudad Bolívar. Bolívar State covers a total surface area of 238,000 km² and in June 30, 2010 had an estimated population of 1,620,359.... and Carabobo Carabobo Carabobo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of... . |
| B. oligolepis Bothriopsis oligolepis Bothriopsis oligolepis is a venomous pitviper species found in Peru and Bolivia. The specific name is derived from the Greek words oligo and lepis, meaning "few scales"; probably an allusion to the lower numbers of dorsal and ventral scales that it has compared to B. bilineata... |
(Werner Franz Werner Franz Werner was an Austrian zoologist and explorer. Specializing as a herpetologist and entomologist, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms.... , 1901) |
0 | Peruvian forest-pitviper | Eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia. |
| B. peruviana Bothriopsis peruviana Bothriopsis peruviana is a venomous pitviper species found in Peru. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Geographic range:Found in southeastern Peru. The type locality given is "La Oroya, Carabaya, southeastern Peru."-Taxonomy:... |
(Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1903) |
0 | Southeastern Peru. | |
| B. pulchra Bothriopsis pulchra Bothriopsis pulchra is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The specific name is Latin, meaning "beautiful", in reference to the color pattern... |
(Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1862) |
0 | Andean forest-pitviper | Eastern slopes of the Andes from south-central Colombia to southern Ecuador. |
| B. punctata Bothriopsis punctata Bothriopsis punctata is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:Adults commonly grow to more than 100 cm in length and may exceed 150 cm. The shape of the body and long tail suggest that it is semiarboreal... |
(Garcia, 1896) | 0 | Chocoan lancehead | From the Darién Darién Gap The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama's Darién Province in Central America from Colombia in South America. It measures just over long and about wide. Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the environmental toll is steep. Political... of Panama Panama Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The... along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador to extreme northern Peru. |
| B. taeniata Bothriopsis taeniata Bothriopsis taeniata is a pit viper found in the equatorial forests of South America. The specific name is derived from the Greek word taenia in reference to the slender body. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.-Description:Adults are usually... T |
(Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826... , 1824) |
1 | Speckled forest-pitviper | Widespread in the equatorial forests of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. |
- ) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
.