''Atropoides picadoi'', also known as Picado's jumping pitviper,
[Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. 2 volumes. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp., 1500 plates. .] is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
venomous snake
Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...
, a pitviper in the
subfamily Crotalinae
The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . crotaline snakes (from grc, κρόταλον ''krotalon'' castanet), or pit adders, are a subfa ...
of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Viperidae
The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs th ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. There are no
subspecies that are recognised as being valid.
It is monotypic in the genus ''Atropoides''.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''picadoi'', is in honor of Costa Rican
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...
Clodomiro Picado Twight
Clodomiro Picado Twight (April 17, 1887 - May 16, 1944), also known as "Clorito Picado", was a Costa Rican scientist who was internationally recognized for his pioneering research on snake venom and the development of various antivenins. His wor ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Atropoides picadoi'', p. 207).]
Description
Adults of ''A. picadoi'' commonly reach a total length (including tail) of with a maximum of . ''A. picadoi'' is extremely stout, though not quite so much as ''
A. mexicanus''.
Geographic range
''Atropoides picadoi'' is found in the mountains of
Costa Rica and western
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
at altitude. Its geographic range includes the
Cordillera de Tilarán
Costa Rica is located on the Central American Isthmus, surrounding the point 10° north of the equator and 84° west of the prime meridian. It has 212 km of Caribbean Sea coastline and 1,016 on the North Pacific Ocean.
The area is 51,100& ...
, the
Cordillera Central, and the
Cordillera de Talamanca
The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...
. The
type locality given is "La Palma,
/nowiki> /nowiki>San_José_Province">San_José_Province.html"_;"title="/nowiki>San_José_Province">/nowiki>San_José_Province/nowiki>,_Costa_Rica,_4500_feet".
_References
_Further_reading
* /nowiki>San_José_Province">San_José_Province.html"_;"title="/nowiki>San_José_Province">/nowiki>San_José_Province/nowiki>,_Costa_Rica,_4500_feet".
_References
_Further_reading
*Emmett_Reid_Dunn">Dunn_ER_(1939)._"A_New_Pit_Viper_from_Costa_Rica"._''Proceedings_of_the_Biological_Society_of_Washington''_52:_165-166._(''Trimeresurus_nummifer_picadoi'',_new_subspecies).
_External_links
*
{{Taxonbar.html" ;"title="Emmett_Reid_Dunn.html" ;"title="San_José_Province.html" ;"title="San_José_Province.html" ;"title="/nowiki>San José Province">/nowiki>San José Province">San_José_Province.html" ;"title="/nowiki>San José Province">/nowiki>San José Province/nowiki>, Costa Rica, 4500 feet".
References
Further reading
*Emmett Reid Dunn">Dunn ER (1939). "A New Pit Viper from Costa Rica". ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' 52: 165-166. (''Trimeresurus nummifer picadoi'', new subspecies).
External links
*
{{Taxonbar">from=Q1017609
Atropoides,