''Hypnale hypnale'' 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 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 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 elsew ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Common names include the hump-nosed viper,United States Navy (1991). ''Poisonous Snakes of the World''. New York: United States Government/Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. . Merrem's hump-nosed viperDefense Pest Management Information Analysis Center (2001). ''Regional Disease Vector Ecology Profile for South Central Asia''. 219 pp
PDF
a
Armed Forces Pest Management Board
Accessed 17 November 2006. and others listed below at § Common names.'' No

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.

Description

''H. hypnale'' grows to an average of 30–45 cm (11¾-17¾ inches) in total length (including tail). The Armed Forces Pest Management Board states 0.4-0.6 m (15¾-23⅝ inches) in total length. Its build is that of a typical

viperid The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs t ...

with a stout body and a wide head. The snout is pointed and turned upwards, ending in a hump. The

frontal Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

, supraoculars, and parietal shields are large, but those on the snout are small and irregular. The color pattern is grayish with heavy brown mottling, overlaid with a double row of large dark spots. The belly is brownish or yellowish with dark mottling. The tip of the tail is yellow or reddish.

Common names

Common names include: hump-nosed viper, Merrem's hump-nosed viper, hump-nosed pit viper,Brown JH (1973). ''Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes''. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. . Oriental hump-nosed viper, Parker HW, Grandison AGC (1977). ''Snakes — a Natural History. Second Edition''. London and Ithaca: British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press. 108 pp. 16 plates. LCCCN 76-54625. (cloth), (paper). hump-nosed pitviper,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL,

Captain A Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, Ryabov S (2004). ''Asian Pitvipers''. First Edition. Berlin: Geitje Books. 368 pp. . ''polon thelissa-පොලොන් තෙලිස්සා'' & ''kunakatuwa-කුණක‍ටුවා'' ( Sinhala),Checklists of the Snakes of Sri Lanka
at th
Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society
Accessed 12 February 2008. ''churutta'' /മുഴമൂക്കൻ കുഴി മണ്ഡലി (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

Geographic range

''Hypnale hypnale'' is found in peninsular

to the Western Ghats as far north as 16° N, and in

, according to M.A. Smith (1943). The type locality given is " Castle Rock, Karnataka, India."

Habitat

''Hypnale hypnale'' is found in dense

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...

and

coffee plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s in hilly areas.

Behavior

''Hypnale hypnale'' is active during early morning and night. It spends the day in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

and thick bushes. This species can be found on the

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

side basking during the sunrise. Although it is a slow mover, it is capable of fast strikes. It has an irritable disposition and will vibrate its tail when annoyed, Das, Indraneil (2002). ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (''Hypnale hypnale'', p. 62). a behavior it has in common with other pit vipers, especially

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...

s of the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Crotalus ''Crotalus'' is a genus of venomous pit vipers in the family Viperidae, known as rattlesnakes or rattlers.Albert Hazen WWright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing ...

'' and ''

Sistrurus :''Common names: ground rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlesnakes, massasaugas'' Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press ...

''. It has been described as nocturnal, terrestrial, and aggressive when disturbed. It is the snake to cause the highest number of recorded snake bites in Sri Lanka.

Venom

Bites from ''H. hypnale'', although previously thought to be innocuous, are now known to cause serious complications such as

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 ...

and

acute renal failure Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden decrease in kidney function that develops within 7 days, as shown by an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output, or both. Causes of AKI are c ...

(ARF). If not treated within a few hours, bites can potentially be fatal for human beings.Kularatna SA, Ratnatunga N (1999). "Severe systemic effects of Merrem's hump-nosed viper bite". ''Ceylon Med. J.'' 44 (4): 169-170. While not initially included in the list of highly venomous snakes in Sri Lanka, it is now considered highly venomous, and one of the medically important venomous snakes in Sri Lanka and on the south western coast of India. As of November 2016, an antivenom is currently being developed by the

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Clodomiro Picado Institute The Instituto Clodomiro Picado is a research center in Vázquez de Coronado (canton), Vázquez de Coronado, San José Province, Costa Rica. Established in 1970, the institute is a research unit of the Universidad de Costa Rica, responsible for the ...

, and clinical trial phase in Sri Lanka.Rodrigo M (2016). ''Trials to start for home-grown anti-venom''. Available at: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/161009/news/trials-to-start-for-home-grown-anti-venom-211742.html

Reproduction

Adult females of ''H. hypnale'' bear live young from March through July. Brood size ranges from 4 to 17, and the newborns are 13-14.5 cm (5⅛-5¾ inches) long.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2715959

hypnale :''Common names: hump-nosed vipers,Gloyd HK, Conant R. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex: A Monographic Review. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 614 pp. 52 plates. LCCN 89-50342. . hump-nosed pit vipers.Brown JH. 1973. Toxi ...

Reptiles of Sri Lanka Reptiles of India Reptiles described in 1820