''Trimeresurus gracilis'', commonly known as the Taiwan pit viper or Taiwan mountain pitviper, is a

venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

pit viper

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

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 ...

. No subspecies are currently recognized. The species is known as in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

.Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. GeitjeBooks. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. .

Description

''Trimeresurus gracilis'' is a small snake with a total length up to . Scalation includes 19 (or 21) rows of

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down t ...

at midbody, 144–149

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

, 43–53 subcaudal scales, and 7–8 supralabial scales.

Geographic range

It is found only in

, above above sea level. The type locality given is "Mt. Noko, Nanto". According to Zhao and Adler (1993), this would be "Mt. Nôkô, Nanto Co., central Formosa" (Mount Nengkaoshan, Nantou County, Taiwan). In a study were results that negated a commonly believed inference relating to the close affinity of T. monticola and T. okinawensis, and also suggested a sister relationship between T. okinawensis and T. gracilis. Phylogenetic relationships revealed in this study suggested that the genus Trimeresurus dispersed into the Ryukyu region at least three times, and that T. flavoviridis and T. tularensis from the central Ryukyus use to be more widespread and diverse in the past surrounding regions.

Description

Geographic range

References

Further reading