Mixcoatlus browni

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Mixcoatlus browni
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Mixcoatlus
Species:
M. browni
Binomial name
Mixcoatlus browni
(Shreve, 1938)
Synonyms

Agkistrodon browniShreve, 1938

Mixcoatlus browni (commonly known as Brown's montane pit viper, [1] [2] sometimes Mexican montane pitviper [3] ) is a species of pit viper found at high elevations in Guerrero, Mexico. This species was previously placed in the genus Agkistrodon , where it was considered to be a junior synonym of Cerrophidion barbouri . Molecular evidence has since demonstrated that M. browni is a distinct species and the genus name was subsequently changed. [3]

Contents

The genus Mixcoatlus is derived from the Nahuatl word Mixcoatl or "cloud serpent", a deity of the Aztec and several other Mesoamerica civilizations. This name also refers to the geographic restriction of this clade to elevations above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). [3] [4]

Description

Not much is known about this species. This species is diurnal and it is usually found basking or moving throughout the day. This species has been seen by researchers to have more of a prehensile tail than other species in this genus. There is currently no evidence to suggest that M. browni is arboreal, although it does climb low vegetation. [3]

Geographic range

Mixcoatlus browni is constricted to the cloud forests of western Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero, Mexico. They been recorded at elevations up to 3,296 metres (10,814 ft) above sea level. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Agkistrodon</i> Genus of snakes

Agkistrodon is a genus of venomous 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. Common names include: cottonmouths, copperheads, and cantils.

<i>Bothriechis schlegelii</i> Species of reptile

Bothriechis schlegelii, known commonly as the eyelash viper, is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to Central and South America. Small and arboreal, this species is characterized by a wide array of color variations, as well as the superciliary scales above the eyes. It is the most common of the green palm-pitvipers, and is often present in zoological exhibits. The specific name schlegelii honors Hermann Schlegel, who was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. For other common names see below. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.

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

Trimeresursus stejnegeri is a species of venomous pit viper endemic to Asia. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

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

Terciopelo is a species of pit viper occurring at low to moderate elevations in northeast Mexico and Central America, and into South America where it is known from elevations up to 2600 meters in the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes, as well as Venezuela and Trinidad on the Caribbean coast. With a mass up to 6 kilograms (13 lb) and the maximal length of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft), terciopelo is among the largest pit vipers. It is light to dark brown in color, often with yellow zig-zag-shaped lines on each side of the body. Dubbed "the ultimate pit-viper" for its large size, fangs and venom yield, it has a fearsome reputation, responsible for the most snakebites within its range because of its defensive temperament and proximity to human residence. However, in common with other venomous snakes, it avoids confrontation with humans whenever possible. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Bothriechis</i> Genus of snakes

Bothriechis is a genus of venomous pit vipers, commonly called palm vipers or palm-pitvipers found predominantly in Mexico and Central America, although the most common species, B. schlegelii, ranges as far south as Colombia and Peru. All members are relatively slender and arboreal. The name Bothriechis is derived from the Greek words bothros and echis that mean "pit" and "viper" respectively. Ten species and no subspecies are currently generally recognized.

<i>Protobothrops sieversorum</i> Species of snake

Protobothrops sieversorum, commonly known as the three horned-scaled pitviper or the three-horn-scaled pit-viper, is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Vietnam.

<i>Agkistrodon taylori</i> Species of snake

Agkistrodon taylori is species of venomous snake, a pitviper (Crotalinae) found only in northeastern Mexico. The standardized names are Taylor's cantil (English) and Metapil (Spanish), although it is sometimes called the ornate cantil as well as several other colloquial names. It was named in honor of American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor.

<i>Protobothrops mangshanensis</i> Species of snake

Protobothrops mangshanensis, commonly known as the Mangshan pit viper, Mangshan pitviper, Mt. Mang pitviper, or Mang Mountain pitviper, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Hunan and Guangdong provinces in China. No subspecies are currently recognized. This is a nocturnal pit viper that is also known as the ''Mangshan iron-head snake'', ''Chinese pit viper'', and the ''Ironhead viper''. They eat frogs, birds, insects, and small mammals. They have a white tail tip that they wiggle to mimic a grub so that prey comes into striking range—a behaviour known as caudal luring. The venom causes blood clotting and corrodes muscle tissue and can kill people. Unusually for vipers, P. mangshanensis is oviparous with the female laying clutches of 13–21 eggs which she will guard until they hatch.

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

Crotalus ravus, commonly known as the Mexican pigmy rattlesnake or Mexican pygmy rattlesnake, is a venomous pit viper species, found only in Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Bothriechis rowleyi</i> Species of snake

Bothriechis rowleyi is a species of pit viper, a venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

Mixcoatlus barbouri is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Mexico. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Cerrophidion tzotzilorum</i> Species of snake

Cerrophidion tzotzilorum is a venomous pit viper species which is native to southern Mexico. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

<i>Ophryacus undulatus</i> Species of snake

Ophryacus undulatus is a venomous pitviper species found in the mountains of central and southern Mexico. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Mixcoatlus melanurus</i> Species of snake

Mixcoatlus melanurus is a venomous pitviper species endemic to the mountains of southern Mexico. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Protobothrops xiangchengensis</i> Species of snake

Protobothrops xiangchengensis, commonly known as the Szechwan pit viper, Kham Plateau pitviper, or Sichuan lancehead, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to the Hengduan Mountains in south-central China. No subspecies are currently recognized.

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.

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 tsushimaensis</i> Species of snake

Gloydius tsushimaensis, or the Tsushima Island pitviper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Tsushima Island in Japan.

<i>Mixcoatlus</i> Genus of snakes

Mixcoatlus is a small genus of pit vipers endemic to Mexico. The genus was created in 2011.

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

Trimeresurus salazar, also known as Salazar's pit viper, is a species of venomous, green pit viper first discovered in 2019 in the lowlands of the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, India; the fifth new reptile species to be discovered in the region in 2019. It was named after Salazar Slytherin from the Harry Potter series. It has a dark green head and yellowish green dorsal scales on the rest of its body. The species is sexually dichromatic; the males have reddish-orange and yellow-orange stripes and a rusty red-orange tail that the females lack. Its habitat is under threat from human development activities.

References

  1. Mixcoatlus browni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 13 December 2014.
  2. "NCBI Taxonomy". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jadin, R.C.; Smith, E.N.; Campbell, J. (2011). "Unraveling a tangle of Mexican serpents: a systematic revision of highland pitvipers" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (3): 951. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00748.x . Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. Archer, John (March 2012). "What you missed at the February meeting" (PDF). Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society. No. 3. The Chicago Herpetological Society. Retrieved 6 December 2014.