Hypnale hypnale (MERREM, 1820)
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Hypnale hypnale
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| Higher Taxa | Viperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Hump-nosed Moccasin G: Indische Nasenotter |
| Synonym | Cophias hypnale MERREM 1820: 155 Trigonocephalus hypnale — SCHLEGEL 1837 Hypnale hypnale — FITZINGER 1843 Trigonocephalus hypnale — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1498 Hypnale affinis ANDERSON 1871: 20 Ancistrodon hypnale — BOULENGER 1890 (part.) Ancistrodon millardi WALL 1908: 792 Ancistrodon millardi — WALL 1919: 578 Ancistrodon hypnale — SMITH 1943: 499 Hypnale hypnale — WELCH 1994: 67 Hypnale hypnale — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 310 Hypnale hypnale — GUMPRECHT et al. 2004 Hypnale hypnale — WALLACH et al. 2014: 343 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka, India (Western Ghats, Kerala, Karnataka (Castle Rock) [A. Captain, pers. Comm.], Tamil Nadu) Type locality: Ceylon = Sri Lanka (designated by SCHLEGEL 1837: 550), see comment. Type locality of neotype: Castle Rock in Karnataka State, India, 15º23’52”N, 74º19’56” E, alt. 620 m). |
| Reproduction | ovoviviparous |
| Types | Neotype: BNHS = BNHM 2531:759 (designated by Maduwage et al. 2009), Female; the neotype is also the lectotype of Ancistrodon millardi Wall, 1908. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Hypnale hypnale is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters; snout tip not raised, no wart-like protuberance at tip of snout (Fig. 1a); 3–5 minute scales between rostral and anterior border of internasals (Fig. 1b); 5–15 heterogeneous scales on internasal-prefrontal region (Fig. 1b); 6 scales surrounding eye (supraocular + 2 postoculars + 2 preoculars + postfoveal) (Fig. 1a); 4–5 scales surrounding maxillary pit (lower preocular + postfoveal + lacunal + upper edge of second supralabial or lower preocular + postfoveal + lacunal + upper edge of second supralabial + loreal) (Fig. 1a); 2 postoculars, the upper one small, the lower one crescentic, reaching postfoveal; no scales between postfoveal and 3rd supralabial (Fig. 1a); lower postocular, 1st lower temporal, 4th and 5th supralabials in contact, no scale between them. Supralabials, 7 or 8; lacunal present (surrounded by loreal + 1st supralabial + 2nd supralabial + maxillary pit + tip of lower preocular). Costal scales keeled (Fig. 1g); ventrals, 141–158; subcaudal series divided medially, with 26–47 scales. Lobes of hemipenes smooth, lacking spines (Fig. 1d). It is distinguished from H. nepa by lacking (vs possessing) a wart-like protuberance at the tip of the snout; lacking scales (vs possessing 1–3 scales) between postfoveal and 3rd supralabial; having the lower postocular, 1st lower temporal, 4th and 5th supralabials in contact, with no scale between them (vs separated by a rhomboid scale of similar size); having the costal scales keeled (vs smooth) in mid-dorsal region; possessing 141–158 (vs 122–134) ventrals; and having the lobes of hemipenes smooth, lacking spines (vs hemipenial lobes with large spines on proximal two-thirds of their length). Hypnale hypnale is distinguished from H. zara by having the snout tip not raised (vs distinctly elevated); 3–5 minute scales between rostral and anterior border of internasals (vs 10–19 minute scales forming a wartlike protuberance at the snout tip); 5–15 (vs 18–39) heterogeneous scales on the internasal-prefrontal region; 4–5 (vs 3) scales surrounding the maxillary pit; and possessing (vs lacking) a lacunal scale. It is also distinguished from Hypnale sp. ‘amal’ by having 7–8 (vs 9) supralabials; the first infralabials separated from each other by a median suture (vs medially fused); and two rows of dark, bilaterally symmetrical blotches meeting on dorsal midline (vs a distinct paravertebral stripe, about 3 scales wide, extending from neck to level of vent). (Maduwage et al. 2009) Additional details (4756 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Venomous! Distribution: The original type locality was given as “Levante” and “Archipelago, Arabia, Aegypto”, both in error. Type species: Cophias hypnale MERREM 1820 is the type species of the genus Hypnale FITZINGER 1843. Generic disgnosis in Gloyd & Conant, 1990: 407. |
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