''Pseudagkistrodon'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

of snakes in the family

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

. The sole species is ''Pseudagkistrodon rudis'', also known as red keelback, false habu, and false viper. It is found in southwest, south, and east

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. One

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 ...

, ''Pseudagkistrodon rudis multiprefrontalis'' Zhao and Jiang 1981 from

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, is recognized, in addition to the nominotypical one.

Description

''Pseudagkistrodon rudis'' appears to

mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...

vipers, and the head takes a triangular shape when the snake takes a defensive position. The species grows to in total length. The head is broad and distinct from the neck. The dorsum is brown to grey brown, sometimes tinted with bronze, and interrupted by dark patterns of variable in size, disposition and intensity of pigmentation. Female snakes give birth to 12–27 young per litter in late summer and autumn. The newly hatched young measure cm in total length.

Habitat and conservation

''Pseudagkistrodon rudis'' is a common species that inhabits montane meadows, riparian areas of brooks, valleys, road sides, shrubs, and rock piles. Its altitudinal range is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. The species is traded in significant numbers, which might present a localized threat. However, the overall population of this widespread species is stable and its conservation status is assessed as "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q111673989, from2=Q106595923, from3=Q3006623 Natricinae Snakes of China Reptiles of Taiwan Taxa named by John Van Denburgh Monotypic snake genera