''Bothrops'' is a genus of highly 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 ...

s endemic to

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and South America.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1''. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). The

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name, ''Bothrops'', is derived from the Greek words βόθρος, '' bothros'', meaning "pit", and ώπς, ''ops'', meaning "eye" or "face", together an allusion to the heat-sensitive

loreal pit The loreal pit is the deep depression, or fossa, in the loreal area on either side of the head in pit vipers (crotaline snakes). The area is located behind the nostril and in front of the eye, but below the line that runs between the centers o ...

organs. Members of this genus are responsible for more human deaths in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

than any other group of venomous snakes.Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. . Currently, 48 species are recognized.

Description

These snakes range from small, never growing to more than , to large at over in total length. Most are characterized by having a sharp '' canthus rostralis'' and an unelevated snout. The arrangement of the scales on top of the head is extremely variable; the number of

interorbital scales 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. . ...

may be 3–14. Usually there are 7-9

supralabials 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 ( ...

and 9-11

sublabials 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 ...

. There are 21-29 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 139-240 ventral scales, and 30-86 subcaudals, which are generally divided.

Common names

Lacépède Lacepede can refer to: * Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756–1825), French naturalist and politician. * Lacepede Bay, a bay in South Australia. * Lacépède, Lot-et-Garonne, a ''commune'' in France * Lacepede Islands, a group of four islands in t ...

originally applied the name "lanceheads" to all of these snakes, which he considered conspecific. Thus, older writings, as well as popular and sometimes scientific writings (including the American Heritage, Merriam-Webster, and New Shorter Oxford dictionaries), still often call them ''fer-de-lance'' (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, "spearhead"). However, many scientists and hobbyists now restrict this name to the Martinican species, '' B. lanceolatus''. Other common names include American lanceheads and American lance-headed vipers.U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Poisonous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. .

Geographic range

Found in northeastern Mexico ( Tamaulipas) southward through

and South America to Argentina, ''Bothrops'' species also occur on the islands of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

and Martinique in the Lesser Antilles, as well as on

Ilha da Queimada Grande Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island, is an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. It is administered as part of the municipality of Itanhaém in the State of São Paulo. The island is small in size, only , and has a ...

off the coast of Brazil. ''B. atrox'' is also found on the island of Trinidad in the Southern Caribbean off the eastern coast of Venezuela.

Behavior

Most species are nocturnal, although a few found at higher altitudes are active during the day. Otherwise, they may be seen on cloudy days or during periods of rain. Most are terrestrial, though all are capable of climbing. One species, ''B. insularis'', which is endemic to

, is considered to be semi arboreal. This species, unlike most ''Bothrops,'' preys primarily on birds, due to the absence of native mammal species on Queimada Grande. This feeding habit probably accounts for their more arboreal lifestyle compared with their mainland cousins. Many species of ''Bothrops'' exhibit

tail vibration Tail vibration is a common behavior in some snakes where the tail is vibrated rapidly as a defensive response to a potential predator. Tail vibration should not be confused with where the tail is twitched in order to attract prey. While rattlesnakes ...

behavior when disturbed.Allf, Bradley C., Paul AP Durst, and David W. Pfennig. "Behavioral Plasticity and the Origins of Novelty: The Evolution of the Rattlesnake Rattle." The American Naturalist 188.4 (2016): 475-483

Venom

Members of this genus are responsible for more fatalities in the

than any other group of venomous snakes. In this regard, the most important species are '' B. asper'', '' B. atrox'', and '' B. jararaca''. Without treatment, the fatality rate is estimated to be about 7%, but with treatment this is reduced to 0.5-3%. Bothrops ammodytoides

Typical symptoms of bothropic envenomation include immediate burning pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, massive swelling of the bitten extremity, hemorrhagic blebs, local

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, or trauma which result in the unregulated dige ...

, bleeding from the nose and gums, ecchymosis, erythemia, hypotension, tachycardia,

coagulopathy Coagulopathy (also called a bleeding disorder) is a condition in which the blood's ability to coagulate (form clots) is impaired. This condition can cause a tendency toward prolonged or excessive bleeding (bleeding diathesis), which may occur spo ...

with hypofibrinogenemia and thrombocytopenia, hematemesis,

melena Melena or melaena refers to the dark black, tarry feces that are associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The black color and characteristic strong odor are caused by hemoglobin in the blood being altered by digestive enzymes and intest ...

, epistaxis, hematuria,

intracerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into Intraparenchymal hemorrhage, the tissues of the brain, into its Intraventricular hemor ...

, and kidney failure, secondary to hypotension and bilateral cortical necrosis. There is usually some discoloration around the bite site, and rashes may develop on the torso or the extremities. In general, death results from hypotension secondary to blood loss, kidney failure, and

intracranial The cranial cavity, also known as intracranial space, is the space within the skull that accommodates the brain. The skull minus the mandible is called the ''cranium''. The cavity is formed by eight cranial bones known as the neurocranium that in ...

hemorrhage. Common complications include necrosis and kidney failure secondary to shock and the toxic effects of the venom.

Species

''*) Not including the nominate subspecies.''
^T) Type species

References

Cobra-papagaio - Bothrops bilineatus - Ilhéus - Bahia

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q468875 Snakes of South America Snakes of Central America Snake genera Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler