Kingdom Animalia Suborder Serpentes Subfamily Crotalinae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | Subphylum Vertebrata Family Viperidae Scientific name Bothriopsis Higher classification Vipers Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Lower classifications Bothriopsis bilineata, Bothriopsis taeniata, Bothriopsis medusa, Bothriopsis punctata, Bothriopsis oligolepis | ||
Speckled forest pit viper bothriopsis taeniata feeding
Bothriopsis is a genus of venomous pitvipers found in eastern Panama and most of northern South America. The name is derived from the Greek words bothros for "pit", and -opsis for "face" or "appearance"; obviously an allusion to the heat-sensitive loreal pit organs. Seven species are currently recognized.
Contents
- Speckled forest pit viper bothriopsis taeniata feeding
- Description
- Geographic range
- Species
- Taxonomic comment
- References
Description
Members of this genus vary in size from small to as much as 150 cm (59 inches) in total length. All have a prehensile tail and cryptic color patterns that are typically arboreal adaptations. These color patterns may include a lot of green, and may or may not include pale or dark markings.
Geographic range
Found in eastern Panama and most of northern South America, including the Pacific lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador, the Andes Mountains from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia, the Amazon Basin and the Atlantic forests of Brazil.
Species
*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species.
Taxonomic comment
The status of this genus is controversial: several studies have shown that Bothriopsis is nested within Bothrops, rendering the latter paraphyletic. Some authors have argued that Bothriopsis should therefore be synonymised with Bothrops, while others have preferred to continue recognising the genus as valid, with the expectation of future generic splits in Bothrops.