:''Common names: Andean lancehead.
[Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. 2 volumes. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp. 1,500 plates. .]''
''Bothrocophias andianus'' is a
venomous pit viper
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 ...
species endemic to the
Andes in
South America. No
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are currently recognized.
Description
A terrestrial species, adults usually grow to 60–70 cm (about 24-28 inches) in total length with a maximum of .
The scalation includes 21-25 (usually 21-23) rows of
dorsal scales at midbody, 157-174/169-179
ventral scales in males/females and 52-63/49-58 mostly divided
subcaudal scales
In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...
. On the head, the
rostral scale is usually a little higher (up to 50%) than it is wide, the loreal scale is rectangular and wider than it is high, there are 3-10 keeled
intersupraoculars
In snakes, the interorbital scales, or intersupraoculars, are the scales on the top of the head between the plates surmounting the eyesWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . ( ...
, 7
supralabial scales
In reptiles, the supralabial scales, also called upper-labials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the upper jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates ( ...
with the second usually fused with the
prelacunal
Lacunal scales are those scales
Scale or scales may refer to:
Mathematics
* Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points
* Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the or ...
to form a
lacunolabial, and 8-11
sublabial scales In reptiles, the sublabial scales, also called lower-labials or infralabials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the lower jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publis ...
.
The color pattern consists of an olive gray to brown ground color, which is occasionally darker anteriorly, overlaid with a series of 18-25 dark dorsolateral blotches that usually oppose middorsally, but may alternate. These markings are triangular, or in the shape of a headphone, and have black edges followed by a peripheral pale border. The belly is cream to yellow with heavy dark gray, brown or black mottling. On the head, the canthus and supralabials are a lighter than the overall ground color while the dorsum is darker. A well-defined postorbital stripe is present that is dark chocolate brown or black in color.
Geographic range
Found in
South America in the southern mountains of
Peru in the departments of
Cuzco and
Puno
Puno (Aymara and qu, Punu) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was establish ...
at elevations of . The
type locality given is "
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which ...
, Department of Cuzco, Peru, about 9,000-10,000 ft. altitude" (2,743-3,048 m).
References
Further reading
*
Amaral, Afranio. 1923. "New Genera and Species of Snakes". ''Proceedings of the New England Zoölogical Club'' 8: 85-105. ("''Bothrops andiana sp. nov.''", pp. 103–105).
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2911767
andianus
Reptiles described in 1923