Gloydius strauchi

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Gloydius strauchi
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Gloydius
Species:
G. strauchi
Binomial name
Gloydius strauchi
(Bedriaga, 1912)
Synonyms
  • Ancistrodon Strauchi
    Bedriaga, 1912
  • Agkistrodon tibetanus
    Barbour, 1912
  • Ancistrodon tibetanus
    — F. Werner, 1922
  • Agkistrodon strauchi
    — Stejneger, 1925
  • Ancistrodon halys strauchi
    — Pavlov, 1932
  • Aghistrodon strauchi
    — Wettstein, 1938
  • Gloydius strauchi
    — Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981
  • Agkistrodon halys qinlingensis
    Song & Chen, 1985
  • Agkistrodon halys liupanensis
    Liu, Song & Luo, 1989 [1]
Common names: Tibetan pit viper, [2] Strauch's pitviper. [3]

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, [4] until a recent publication (Kai Wang et al., 2019) re-evaluated the taxonomic statuses of populations of G. strauchi and described the eastern Tibetan populations as a new species. [5]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, strauchi, is in honor of Russian herpetologist Alexander Strauch. [6]

Description

According to Gloyd and Conant (1990), G. strauchi is a small snake, probably not growing to much more than 50 cm (19+5⁄8 in) in total length. The largest male they examined was 51 cm (20 in) in total length of which the tail was 7.3 cm (2+7⁄8 in), the largest female 54.7 cm (21+1⁄2 in) with a tail of 7.5 cm (3.0 in). The snout is rounded while the head is not too much wider than the neck. The body is moderately stout. [2]

Scalation usually includes 21 rows of keeled dorsal scales at midbody, although the keels on the outer scale rows may be missing; 145-175 ventral scales; and 34-44 paired subcaudal scales. Also there are usually 7 supralabial scales. [2]

The color pattern consists of a greenish brown, yellowish brown, or nut brown ground color, which is overlaid with four longitudinal stripes that are interrupted at intervals, sometimes curving and coalescing, and at other times forming an irregularly spotted or zigzag pattern. This pattern is clearly visible in young specimens, while older ones are dark or even uniformly black. A dark postocular stripe is present that more or less diffuses with the ground color above, but is clearly bordered below by a pale coloration of the lower temporal scales and posterior supralabial scales. [2]

Geographic range

G. strauchi is found in western China in the Tibetan Plateau in the provinces of Tsinghai and western Szechwan. The type locality given is "Dytschu, also den Oberlauf des Jan-tse-kiang... Tung-o-lo (Kamennoe Nagorie) und Daudsen-lu (Szytschuan)". Zhao & Adler (1993) give "Dytschu (= Moron Us and Tuotuo rivers?), upper Jan-tse-kiang (= Jinsha River, or upper Chang Jiang), Qinghai Prov., Tung-o-lo (= Dong-e-lo) and Daudsen-lu (or Ta-tsian-lu, = Kangding Co.), Sichuan Prov., China". Pope (1935) "restricted" the type locality to "Tungngolo" (located between Lit'ang and K'angting, Hsikang, China). [1]

The elevational range is 2,886–4,267 m (9,469–13,999 ft), [2] even being found above the tree line. It jointly holds the altitude record for pitvipers together with Crotalus triseriatus in Mexico. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Agkistrodon</i> Genus of snakes

Agkistrodon is a genus of pit vipers commonly known as American moccasins. The genus is endemic to North America, ranging from the Southern United States to northern Costa Rica. Eight species are currently recognized, all of them monotypic and closely related. Like all pit vipers, members of the genus are venomous. Common names include: cottonmouths, copperheads, and cantils.

<i>Gloydius</i> Genus of snakes

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.

<i>Crotalus stephensi</i> Species of snake

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Gloydius himalayanus is a venomous pitviper species found along the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Pakistan, India and Nepal. No subspecies are currently recognized. Himalayan pit vipers have been found up to 4900m above sea level, which makes it the highest living snake ever found.

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

Gloydius halys is a venomous pitviper species found within a wide range that stretches across Asia, from Russia, east of the Urals, eastwards through China. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominotypical form described here.

Crotalus intermedius gloydi is a subspecies of venomous pitviper in the family Viperidae. The subspecies is endemic to Mexico in the states of Oaxaca and Puebla.

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

Ovophis okinavensis is a venomous pitviper species found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Trimeresurus kanburiensis</i> Species of snake

Trimeresurus kanburiensis is a species of pit viper found in only a few areas of Thailand. Common names include: Kanburi pitviper, Kanburian pit viper, and tiger pit viper. Highly venomous, it is an arboreal but heavily built species with a brown or tawny coloration. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Trimeresurus puniceus</i> Species of snake

Trimeresurus puniceus is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Southeast Asia. Common names include: flat-nosed pitviper, flat-nosed pit viper, and ashy pit viper. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Trimeresurus sumatranus</i> Species of snake

Trimeresurus sumatranus is a venomous pitviper species found in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Arboreal, its coloration is pale green with a red tail. Common names include Sumatran pitviper, Sumatran tree viper, and Sumatran pit viper.

Trimeresurus fasciatus is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Djampea Island, Indonesia. No subspecies are currently recognized. Common names include: banded pitviper and banded tree viper.

Trimeresurus tibetanus, commonly known as the Tibetan bamboo pit viper, is a venomous pit viper species found only in Tibet. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Agkistrodon howardgloydi is a species of pit viper, a venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae. The subspecies is endemic to Central America.

<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 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.

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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S (2004). Asian Pitvipers. First Edition. Berlin: GeitjeBooks. 368 pp. ISBN   3-937975-00-4.
  4. ↑ "Gloydius strauchi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  5. ↑ Wang, Kai; Ren, Jinlong; Dong, Wenjie; Jiang, Ke; Shi, Jingsong; Siler, Cameron D.; Che, Jing (September 2019). "A New Species of Plateau Pit Viper (Reptilia: Serpentes: Gloydius) from the Upper Lancang (=Mekong) Valley in the Hengduan Mountain Region, Tibet, China". Journal of Herpetology. 53 (3): 224–236. doi:10.1670/18-126. ISSN   0022-1511.
  6. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gloydius strauchi, p. 256).
  7. ↑ Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp. 1,500 plates. ISBN   0-8014-4141-2.
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