Trimeresurus strigatus
| Trimeresurus strigatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Crotalinae |
| Genus: | Trimeresurus |
| Species: | T. strigatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Trimeresurus strigatus Gray, 1842 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
- Common names: horseshoe pitviper.[4]
Trimeresurus strigatus is a venomous pitviper species found in the Western Ghats. No subspecies are currently recognized.[5]
Geographic range
Found in the hills of southern India, Trimeresurus strigatus is distributed in the Nilgiri (Whitaker & Captain, 2004).
The type locality listed is "Cape of Good Hope?" and "Madras?" (Madras Presidency (and not the City), India). The former must be a mistake.[2] Boulenger (1896) restricted the type locality to "Madras Presidency".[3]
Description
Trimeresurus strigatus may be distinguished from other pit vipers of peninsular India based on the presence of small internasals, 2nd supralabial in contact with loreal pit, 21 rows of smooth or weakly-keeled dorsal scales at midbody, and a single row of scales between labials and suboculars. The common name of the species is based on the presence of a pale buff horseshoe-shaped (i.e., inverted 'U') mark on the nape. The snake is pale brownish or buff coloured with darker blotches of grey and some white streaks.
This species is essentially a terrestrial animal, with most of the sightings on ground or rock formations.
Of 12 snakes measured, the mean snout-vent length (SVL) was 24.4 ± 7.04 cm (9.6 ± 2.8 in), the tail length (tL) was 3.5 ± 0.8 cm (1.4 ± 0.3 in), and the weight was 172 ± 10.5 g (6 ± 0.4 oz).
See also
- List of crotaline species and subspecies
- Trimeresurus by common name
- Trimeresurus by taxonomic synonyms
- Crotalinae by common name
- Crotalinae by taxonomic synonyms
- Snakebite
References
- ↑ http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/172655/0
- 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- 1 2 The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. Geitje Books. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
- ↑ "Trimeresurus strigatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
Further reading
- Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. III., Containing the...Viperidæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor & Francis, Printers.) xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. (Lachesis strigatus, pp. 549–550.)
- Gray, J.E. 1842. Synopsis of the species of Rattle-Snakes, or Family of CROTALIDÆ. The Zoological Miscellany 2: 47-51. ("Trimesurus [sic] strigatus", p. 49.)
- Herrmann, H.-W.; Ziegler, T.; Malhotra, A.; Thorpe, R.S.; & Parkinson, C.L. 2004. Redescription and systematics of Trimeresurus cornutus (Serpentes: Viperidae) based on morphology and molecular data. Herpetologica 60 (2): 211-221.
External links
- Trimeresurus strigatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 6 December 2007.
Brief
Scales in 21:21:15 rows. Ventrals 135-144 in males and 131-142 in females. Anal entire. Subcaudals paired 35-42 in males and 32-35 in females.
Range
Trimeresurus strigatus is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills in the southern Western Ghats, India. It has been recorded between 1,100 and 2,400 m asl. Reports from the Bombay Ghats (also referred to as Deccan), Poona District, Maharashtra are not included in the distribution due to the lack of specimen-based records to confirm its occurrence in this area. Historical records from Shevroy Hills, Anamalai Hills and Ashambu Hills also need confirmation.
Habitat and Ecology
Trimeresurus strigatus occurs in semi-evergreen hill forest, shola patches (Kannan and Bhupathy 1996), and grasslands. It has been recorded from disturbed habitats. It is a nocturnal and probably terrestrial snake and has been noted to feed on small rodents, frogs and smaller snakes (Whitaker and Captain 2004). Young snakes are seen in August to September; it is not clear whether reproduction is oviparous or viviparous.
Systems
Terrestrial Iucn red list assessment 2,3
Red List Category
LC
Least Concern
Red List Criteria
Version 3.1
Year Assessed 2013
Assessor/s Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., Vijayakumar, S.P., Deepak, V. & Achyuthan, N.S.
Reviewer/s Penner, J., Bowles, P., Das, A., Shankar, G., Jose, J., Sawant, N.S., Aengals, A., Mohapatra, P., Thakur, S. & Molur, S.
Contributor/s
Justification Listed as Least Concern because although the extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than 18,000 km2, it appears to be reasonably common and is not facing any major threats at present. The species also appears to be tolerant of some levels of disturbance. Population 2,3
Population This species has been reported to be common in the Nilgiri Hills, from where the latest sightings are reported (Kannan and Bhupathy 1996).
Major Threats There appear to be no major threats to this species. It has been found in disturbed habitats. Conservation actions 2,3
Conservation Actions There are no known species-specific conservation measures in place for this species. Within its range, it occurs in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and has been reported from two protected areas, namely, Mukurthi National Park, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu; Silent Valley National Park, Kerala. Further survey work is needed to clarify its range, and understand its biology, ecology, population status and trends.