Gloydius monticola

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Gloydius monticola
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Gloydius
Species:
G. monticola
Binomial name
Gloydius monticola
(F. Werner, 1922)
Synonyms
  • Ancistrodon blomhoffi monticolaF. Werner, 1922
  • Agkistrodon halys monticola Gee, 1929
  • Agkistrodon monticola
    Mell, 1929
  • Agkistrodon strauchi popeiMell, 1931
  • Ancistrodon halys monticola Rendahl, 1933
  • Agkistrodon blomhoffi monticola Mertens, 1934
  • Gloydius monticola
    Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 [2]
Common names: Likiang pit viper, [3] Likiang pitviper. [4]

Gloydius monticola is a venomous pitviper species endemic to southern China. A small and darkly colored snake with no visible color pattern, it is found high in the mountains of northern Yunnan province. No subspecies are currently recognized. [5]

Contents

Description

Gloyd and Conant (1990) state that the only male they examined was 37.4 cm (14.7 in) long with a 5.4 cm (2.1 in) tail. The largest female was 49.8 cm (19.6 in) in length with a tail of 5.9 cm (2.3 in). The body is relatively slender, although adult females are more stout. The snout is rounded, while the head is not markedly wider than the neck. [3]

Scalation includes 6 supralabial scales, 19 rows of keeled dorsal scales at midbody, 140 ventral scales, a single anal scale, and 32 paired subcaudal scales. [3]

The coloration consists of a black, dark brown, or dark gray ground color, with almost no discernible pattern. Exceptions to this rule may have labial scales with a whitish border along the line of the mouth, a few whitish subcaudal scales at the tail tip, or a faint hint of a dorsal pattern. [3]

Geographic range

Found in southern China in the mountains of northern Yunnan [2] at elevations of 3,600–4,000 m (11,800–13,100 ft) [3] The type locality given is "Yao-Schan bei Lidjiang, NW-Yünnan, 3600 m." [Yaoshan, near Lijiang, northwestern Yunnan, China, 3,600 m (11,800 ft)]. [2]

Related Research Articles

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Gloydius is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Asia, also known as Asian moccasins or Asian ground pit vipers. Named after American herpetologist Howard K. Gloyd, this genus is very similar to the North American genus Agkistrodon. 22 species are currently recognized.

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<i>Ovophis monticola</i> Species of snake

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Florida cottonmouth Species of snake

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<i>Gloydius halys</i> Species of snake

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<i>Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen</i> Subspecies of snake

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Agkistrodon russeolus, commonly called the Yucatecan cantil, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and northern Belize.

<i>Hypnale nepa</i> Species of snake

Hypnale nepa, the Sri Lankan hump-nosed viper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Sri Lanka where it is known as මූකලන් තෙලිස්සා in Sinhala. Earlier thought that Hypnale walli and Hypnale nepa were two distinct species, but it is now accepted that it is the same species and Hypnale walli is a synonym name. Relatively small, they are distinguished by a strongly upturned snout. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Hypnale walli, or Wall's hump-nosed viper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Sri Lanka. The smallest member of its genus, it is distinguished by having a strongly upturned nose and lower scale counts. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Gloydius intermedius</i> Species of snake

Gloydius intermedius is a venomous pitviper species endemic to northern Asia. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

Gloydius shedaoensis is a venomous pitviper species found only on Shedao Island in China. Although very small, this island is home to an extraordinarily large population of these snakes. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Gloydius strauchi is a species of venomous pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to western China. It is a small snake with a pattern of four longitudinal stripes, although some older specimens may be a uniform black. G. strauchi may be distinguished from G. monticola by its higher midbody dorsal scale count. This species jointly holds the altitude record for pitvipers together with Crotalus triseriatus of Mexico, both being found even above the tree line at over 4,000 m (13,000 ft). No subspecies were recognized as being valid, until a recent publication re-evaluated the taxonomic statuses of populations of G. strauchi and described the eastern Tibetan populations as a new species.

<i>Gloydius ussuriensis</i> Species of snake

Gloydius ussuriensis is a venomous pitviper species endemic to far east Russia, northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Gloydius brevicauda</i> Species of snake

Gloydius brevicauda is a venomous pitviper species endemic to China and the Korean Peninsula.

<i>Bothrops oligolepis</i> Species of snake

Bothrops oligolepis is a venomous pitviper species found in Peru and Bolivia. The specific name is derived from the Greek words oligo and lepis, meaning "few scales"; probably an allusion to the lower numbers of dorsal and ventral scales that it has compared to B. bilineatus. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Bothrops pulcher is a venomous pitviper species found in South America. The specific name is Latin, meaning "beautiful", in reference to the color pattern. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Trimeresurus yunnanensis, commonly known as the Yunnan bamboo pitviper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to China.

References

  1. Li, P.; Rao, D.-q.; Guo, P. (2012). "Gloydius monticola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T192093A2038837. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192093A2038837.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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. ISBN   0-916984-20-6.
  4. Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN   3-937975-00-4.
  5. "Gloydius monticola". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 9 August 2008.

Further reading