''Bothrops taeniatus'', the speckled forest-pitviper,Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. . is a species of

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 ...

found in the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

ial forests of South America endemic to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador, Peru, And Brazil. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''taenia'', is derived from the Greek word, ''tainia'', meaning ribbon bandage or stripe, in reference to the slender body. Two

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, including the

nominate 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 ...

described here.

Description

Adults are usually less than in total length, although some may grow to as much as . The maximum total length is for a specimen from Tepoe,

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The body is relatively slender with a prehensile tail. The color pattern is extremely complex, varying overall from lavender gray to yellow green, while juveniles undergo considerable ontogenetic color change as they mature into adults. It is distinguished from other members of this genus by having mostly single

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 ...

and a row of bold white spots where the dorsal and ventral scales meet.

Geographic range

Widespread in the equatorial forests of South America in Ecuador,

, Venezuela,

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru, and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. The type locality given is "''flumen Amazonum''", which according to Vanzolini (1981) refers to the section of the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

between the mouth of the Tajapuru river (01°02'S, 51°02'W) and the mouth of the Negros river (03°08'S, 59°55'W).McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume).

Habitat

This arboreal snake inhabits

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s in lowlands and

foothill Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...

s, as well as moist tropical forests. It is usually found in vines and low vegetation in primary forest and along forest edges. It is suspected of living mainly in the forest canopy.

Venom

Only two cases of bites from this species have been documented, and both involved severe local swelling of the entire bitten limb. In the second case, the tissue damage was so severe that it led to amputation of the afflicted limb despite antivenin treatment.

Subspecies

References

* * https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15203757/15203769 {{Taxonbar, from1=Q58206875, from2=Q1257024 taeniatus Snakes of South America Reptiles of Bolivia Reptiles of Brazil Reptiles of Colombia Reptiles of Ecuador Reptiles of French Guiana Reptiles of Guyana Reptiles of Peru Reptiles of Suriname Reptiles of Venezuela Reptiles described in 1824 Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler