Ophryacus sphenophrys

Ophryacus sphenophrys is a venomous pitviper species endemic to the mountains of eastern Mexico.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[2][3]

Ophryacus sphenophrys
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Ophryacus
Species:
O. sphenophrys
Binomial name
Ophryacus sphenophrys
Grünwald, Jones, Franz-Chávez & Ahumada-Carrillo, 2015
Synonyms
  • Bothrops sphenophrys Smith, 1960
  • Ophryacus undulatus Campbell and Lamar (1989)
Common names: Broad-horned pitviper.

Description

No rattle. Head wide with a pointed snout. Broad supraocular horn present, which is in contact with upper preocular. Horn shape is wider than tall.[4] Internasal shape slightly keeled. Canth is pointed then fused with horn. 10 supralabials, 3 interoculabials, 10-12 intersupraoculars, 33 interrictals, 171 ventrals. There is a short and straight tail spine. Palatine teeth absent.[4]

Body bright yellow with black stippling and reticulations all over the dorsum. There are 40 dark blotches, which are outlined in black. In mid dorsal region, it forms an undulating dark stripe. Head also bright yellow in color and contains black stippling. On the parietal portion of the head, there is a distinctive dark blotch in the shape of the letter “M”. Ventral surface yellow and flecked with small black spots. Tail darker olive-green with pale yellow banding. Scales of head speckled with green. There is a faint pale gray-green postocular stripe.[4]

Geographic range

It is found in south-central Oaxaca.[5] Habitats include montane cloud forest, humid pine-oak woodland and pine forest with secondary vegetation.[4]

Behavior

Terrestrial and less arboreal.[4]

References
  1. "Ophryacus undulates group". ncbi. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. Ophryacus sphenophrys at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 December 2017.
  3. "Ophryacus sphenophrys". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. "A new species of Ophryacus (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from eastern Mexico, with comments on the taxonomy of related pitvipers" (PDF). Mesoamerican Herpertology. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  5. "New species of venomous snake discovered in endangered Mexican cloud forests". mongabay. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
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