Mangrove viper
| Mangrove viper | ||||||||||||
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Mangrove viper ( Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus ) |
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| Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Gray , 1832) |
The mangrove Otter ( Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus , Syn. : Cryptelytrops purpureomaculatus Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004) is a venomous snake species of the subfamily of pit vipers (Crotalinae).
Distribution area
The distribution area of the mangrove viper extends from Myanmar to Thailand , the Malay Peninsula and Singapore to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It also occurs on the Andaman and Nicobar archipelagos in the Bay of Bengal , which belong to India .
features
Female mangrove otters can reach a total length of just over a meter, males stay smaller with a maximum length of approx. 80 cm. The strongly keeled scales on the back are arranged in 23, 25, 27 or (rarely) 29 rows. The number of abdominal scales is 152 to 183, the number of subcaudalia , which is always divided, is 54 to 79. The anal scale is undivided. There are three pre- oculars in front of the eye, followed by two to three small post-oculars. There are 11 to 13 supraocularia above the eye, including one subocular. The number of upper lip shields (supralabials) is nine to eleven, the first being connected to the nasal shield , the second being adjacent to the pit organ and the third being the largest. None of the shields of the upper lip touch the eye. The number of lower lip shields (infralabialia) is 11 to 13.
The snake is variable in color and on the back is usually reddish, medium, gray or black-brown, sometimes lilac, lavender or dark red. It can be monochrome or the back and sides of the body are provided with spots that are greenish or greenish-yellow in most cases. The belly is greenish to yellowish white or grayish brown to brown and can have dark edges or dark spots. At the transition from the abdomen to the sides of the body there may be a narrow, white longitudinal stripe, but it may also be missing. Young animals are usually greenish yellow and show an irregular red-brown pattern of spots.
Way of life
The mangrove viper lives close to the coast in mangrove forests and other regions with dense vegetation. It is considered to be aggressive and bites quickly and without warning. It is viviparous and a female gives birth to 7 to 15 young snakes, which are then about 24 cm in length.
Snake venom
The poison secretion of the mangrove viper contains haemorrhagic substances ( metalloproteases ) and probably toxins that influence haemostasis . A bite causes swelling that lasts for days and is very painful. Blistering and necrosis may occur locally . Systemic complications can include coagulopathy and bleeding. Despite its widespread use, deaths are rare. Severe intoxication from poison bites in humans can be treated with polyvalent antivenins (e.g. 'Polyvalent Anti Snake Venom Serum' from the manufacturer Central Research Institute, India).
Individual evidence
- ↑ University of Adelaide, Clinical Toxinology Resources: Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus (accessed June 26, 2018)
literature
- Ulrich Manthey, Wolfgang Grossmann: Amphibians & Reptiles of Southeast Asia. Natur und Tier Verlag (1997), ISBN 978-3931587123 , page 410.
