''Metlapilcoatlus nummifer'', commonly known as Mexican jumping 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. .] or jumping viper,
[U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Poisonous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. .] 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
Mexico.
Description
Adults are short and exceedingly stout, commonly growing to in total length. The snout is rounded with a sharp
canthus.
At midbody there are 23-27 rows of
dorsal scales that are strongly
keeled, tubercular in large specimens. The
ventral scales are 121-135, while the
subcaudals are 26-36 and mostly single. The eye is separated from the
labial scales
The labial scales are the scales of snakes and other scaled reptiles that border the mouth opening. These do not include the median scales on the upper and lower jawsWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7 ...
by 3-4 rows of small scales.
The color pattern consists of a tan, light brown or gray ground color that is overlaid with a series of around 20 dark brown or black rhomboid blotches. The lower tips of these blotches often connect with spots on the flanks to form narrow crossbands. The top of the head is dark with oblique postorbital stripes, below which the side of the head is a lighter color. The belly is whitish, occasionally with dark brown blotches.
These snakes have sometimes been mistaken for young bushmasters (''
Lachesis muta''), but can easily be identified by their lack of a specialized tail tip.
Geographic range
Found in eastern
Mexico from
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
southeastward on the Atlantic versant and lowlands. Found in various types of forest, including cloud forest and rain forest at altitude. The
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
originally lacked locality information, but apparently "Mexico" was filled in some time later. A restriction to Teapa,
Tabasco, Mexico, was proposed by Burger (1950).
''
Metlapilcoatlus mexicanus
:''Common names: Central American jumping 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. .''
''Metlapilcoatlus mexican ...
'' and ''
Metlapilcoatlus occiduus
:''Common names: Guatemalan jumping 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. .''
''Metlapilcoatlus occiduus'' is ...
'' were both formerly considered subspecies.
Conservation status
This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).
Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable. Year assessed: 2007.
References
Further reading
*
Rüppell, E. 1845. ''Verzeichnis der in dem Museum der Senckenbergischen naturforschenden Gesellschaft aufgestellten Sammlungen. Dritte Abteilung: Amphibien''. Mus. Senckenbergianum 3 (3): 293-316. (''Atropos nummifer'')
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2632876
nummifer
Endemic reptiles of Mexico
Reptiles described in 1845
Venomous snakes
Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Fauna of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca