''Bothrops lutzi'', the Cerrado lancehead, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T (1999). ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). The species is endemic to Central eastern Brazil. Within the country, it can be found in states such as: Minas Gerais, Bahia, Goiás, Tocantins, Piauí, and Ceará. The South American viper has sparked an interest from the scientific community due to its venom, as it is believed to have some therapeutic potential. Scientists have found that the venom carried by B. lutzi has antibacterial and antiparasitic effects, which can help fight against microbial resistance by medical patients, as well as parasitic diseases like leishmaniosis and Chagas’ disease.

Etymology

The specific name, ''lutzi'', is in honor of

Adolfo Lutz Adolfo Lutz (6 October 1855 – 18 December 1940) was a Brazilian physician, father of tropical medicine and medical zoology in Brazil, and a pioneer epidemiologist and researcher in infectious diseases. Life Lutz was born in Rio de Janeiro, on ...

of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, who collected the type specimen, upon which Miranda-Ribeiro based his new species description. Adolfo Lutz was the father of Brazilian herpetologist

Bertha Lutz Bertha Maria Júlia Lutz (August 2, 1894 – September 16, 1976) was a Brazilian zoologist, politician, and diplomat. Lutz became a leading figure in both the Americas, Pan American feminism, feminist movement and human rights movement. She was i ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Bothrops lutzi'', p. 163).

Etymology

References

Further reading