Rowley's palm lance viper

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Rowley's palm lance viper
Bothriechis rowleyi.jpg

Rowley's palm lance viper ( Bothriechis rowleyi )

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Vipers (Viperidae)
Subfamily : Pit vipers (Crotalinae)
Genre : Palm lance vipers ( bothriechis )
Type : Rowley's palm lance viper
Scientific name
Bothriechis rowleyi
( Bogert , 1968)

Rowley's palm lance viper ( Bothriechis rowleyi ) is a species of snake from the genus of the palm lance viper ( Bothriechis ) within the subfamily of the pit viper (Crotalinae). It is found in Mexico in southeastern Oaxaca and northern Chiapas .

features

Rowley's palm lance viper reaches a maximum body length of about one meter. As an adult snake it has a green basic color, while young snakes are light green-yellow. As a rule it does not have a pattern, but can occasionally have black or yellow spots. The belly side is yellowish green in color, the tail end is black. The top of the head is monochrome green and only young animals have brown or purple spots, there is no black temple band. The iris is black.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area

The range of the snake is limited to parts of Mexico in southeastern Oaxaca and northern Chiapas . It occurs here in the cloud forests at heights of 1,500 to 1,830 meters.

Systematics

Rowley's palm lance viper is one of seven species of the palm lance viper ( Bothriechis ) and thus the American pit viper. Until a few years ago, the entire genus was assigned to the American lance otters ( Bothrops ). After the revision of the former large genus by Burger in 1971 and Steven D. Werman in 1992, it was assigned as a separate genus.

Rowley's palm lance viper is the sister species of the yellow-spotted palm lance viper ( B. aurifer ).

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 Ophryacus undulatus (as sister species)


  Palm lance vipers  

 Raptic lance viper ( B. schlegelii )


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 Black-spotted palm-lance viper ( B. nigroviridis )


  NN  
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 Rowley's palm lance viper ( B. rowleyi )


   

 Yellow-spotted palm lance viper ( B. aurifer )



  NN  
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 Green and yellow palm lance viper ( B. lateralis )


   

 Two-colored palm lance viper ( B. bicolor )



   

 March's palm lance viper ( B. marchi )







Snake venom

Pit viper poisons contain a mixture of enzymes , low molecular weight polypeptides , metal ions and other components whose function has not yet been fully understood. The effects of these poisons are correspondingly diverse. As with all species of the genus, Rowley's palm lance viper venom has tissue destructive and neurotoxic components.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Steven D. Werman: Phylogenitic Relationships of Central and South American Pitvipers of the Genus Bothrops (sensu lato): Cladistic Analyzes of Biochemical and Anatomical Characters. In: Jonathan A. Campbell, Edmund D. Brodie Jr .: The Biology of the Pitvipers. Selva, Tyler (Texas) 1992; Pp. 21-40, ISBN 0-9630537-0-1

literature

  • Brian L. Crother, Jonathan A. Campbell, David M. Hillis: Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of the Palm-Pitvipers, Genus Bothriechis : Biochemical and Morphological Evidence. In: Jonathan A. Campbell, Edmund D. Brodie Jr. (Eds.): Biology of the Pitvipers. Selva, Tyler (Texas), 1992; Pp. 1-20, ISBN 0-9630537-0-1

Web links