Puneet Varma (Editor)

Bothriechis bicolor

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Family
  
Viperidae

Scientific name
  
Bothriechis bicolor

Higher classification
  
Bothriechis

Order
  
Scaled reptiles

Suborder
  
Serpentes

Genus
  
Bothriechis

Phylum
  
Chordata

Rank
  
Species

Bothriechis bicolor Guatemalan PalmPitviper Bothriechis bicolor

Similar
  
Bothriechis, Snake, Bothriechis aurifer, Bothriechis marchi, Bothriechis thalassinus

Bothriechis bicolor is a venomous pit viper species found in southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The specific name refers to the contrasting ventral and dorsal colors. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Contents

Bothriechis bicolor Bothriechis bicolor Snake Database

Description

Bothriechis bicolor Guatemala Palm Pit Viper Bothriechis bicolor iNaturalistorg

Adults are usually 60–70 centimetres (24–28 in) in length, but may reach 100 centimetres (39 in), and the body is relatively slender.

Bothriechis bicolor Bothriechis bicolor J Travis Fisher Flickr

The color pattern consists of a green or bluish green ground color. Usually this is without any pattern, but sometimes specimens from Mexico have black flecks and dots and/or blue blotches. The dorsum of the head is a uniform green without any postocular stripe. The interstitial skin is often blue, which can also be true for the borders of some scales. The belly has a somewhat lighter color, usually a uniform yellowish-green.

Geographic range

Found along the Pacific versant from southeastern Chiapas in Mexico, east to south-central Guatemala. Also known from a few locations in Honduras in the southern part of the Sierra del Merendón and the Cerro Santa Bárbara. The type locality given is "Des forêts de Saint-Augustine, département de Solola (Guatémala), sur le versant occidental de la Cordillèra. 610 mètres d'altitude" [= Forests of St. [San] Augustín, on western slope of the Cordillera, Department of Sololá, Guatemala, 610 m]. Actually, San Augustín is on the southern slope of Volcán Atitlán.

Habitat

Prefers rain forests and cloud forests between 500 metres (1,600 ft) and 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) elevation.

Conservation status

Bothriechis bicolor Guatemalan palmpitviper Bothriechis bicolor

This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001). Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable. Year assessed: 2007.

Bothriechis bicolor httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

References

Bothriechis bicolor Wikipedia