Bothriechis bicolor

Bothriechis bicolor is a venomous pit viper species found in southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.[1] The specific name refers to the contrasting ventral and dorsal colors.[3] No subspecies are currently recognized.[5]

Bothriechis bicolor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Bothriechis
Species:
B. bicolor
Binomial name
Bothriechis bicolor
(Bocourt, 1868)
Synonyms[2]
  • Bothrops bicolor Bocourt, 1868
  • Bothrops (Bothriechis) Bernoullii Müller, 1877
  • Bothriechis Bernoullii Müller, 1878
  • Bothriechis bernoullii Cope, 1887
  • Bothriechis bicolor Günther, 1895
  • Lachesis bicolor Boulenger, 1896
  • [Bothrops] (Bothriechis) bernoullii Boulenger, 1896
  • Trimeresurus bicolor Mocquard, 1909
  • Bothriechis ornatus Juliá & Verela, 1978
  • Bothrops ornatus Alvarez del Toro, 1982
  • Bothriechis bicolor Campbell & Lamar, 1989
Common names: Guatemalan palm-pit viper,[3] Guatemalan tree viper.[4]

Description

Adults are usually 60–70 centimetres (24–28 in) in length, but may reach 100 centimetres (39 in), and the body is relatively slender.[3]

The color pattern consists of a green or bluish green ground color. Usually this is without any pattern, but sometimes specimens from Mexico have black flecks and dots and/or blue blotches. The dorsum of the head is a uniform green without any postocular stripe. The interstitial skin is often blue, which can also be true for the borders of some scales. The belly has a somewhat lighter color, usually a uniform yellowish-green.[3]

Geographic range

Found along the Pacific versant from southeastern Chiapas in Mexico, east to south-central Guatemala. Also known from a few locations in Honduras in the southern part of the Sierra del Merendón and the Cerro Santa Bárbara. The type locality given is "Des forêts de Saint-Augustine, département de Solola (Guatémala), sur le versant occidental de la Cordillèra. 610 mètres d'altitude" [= Forests of St. [San] Augustín, on western slope of the Cordillera, Department of Sololá, Guatemala, 610 m]. Actually, San Augustín is on the southern slope of Volcán Atitlán.[2]

Habitat

Prefers rain forests and cloud forests between 500 metres (1,600 ft) and 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) elevation.[2]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).[1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable. Year assessed: 2007.[1]

References
  1. Campbell, J.A. & Muñoz-Alonso, A. (2007). "Bothriechis bicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. 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).
  3. Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
  4. Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
  5. "Bothriechis bicolor". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
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