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Crotalus ravus COPE, 1865

IUCN Red List - Crotalus ravus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaViperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesCentral Plateau Pygmy Rattlesnake
S: Cascabel Enana 
SynonymCrotalus ravus COPE 1865: 191
Sistrurus ravus — BOULENGER 1896
Sistrurus ravus — DAVIS & SMITH 1953
Sistrurus ravus lutescens HARRIS & SIMMONS 1978 (see comment)
Sistrurus ravus — LINER 1994
Sistrurus ravus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 327
Crotalus ravus — MURPHY et al. 2002
Crotalus ravus — VALENCIA-HERNÁNDEZ et al. 2007
Piersonus ravus — HOSER 2009
Crotalus ravus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 193
Crotalus ravus — BLAIR et al. 2018
Crotalus ravus — CISNEROS-BERNAL et al. 2022 
DistributionMexico (WC Puebla, Veracruz, Morelos, Tlaxcala, S Hidalgo)  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesSyntypes: USNM 25050, USNM 25051, coll. C. Sartorius 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (ravus): A subspecies of S. ravus (Figs. 1, 2) distinguished from other races (Table 1) by normally having the dorsal scales in 21 rows at midbody, total prefoveals usually fewer than 3, a large rattle (dorsoventral width of proximal rattle segment usually exceeding 10% of tail length in males, 13% in females), and 2-4 tail bands in both sexes (from CAMPBELL & ARMSTRONG 1979).


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CommentVenomous!

Subspecies: Previously recognized subspecies of C. ravus have been elevated to full species status by Blair et al. 2018. Another subspecies, S. r. sinaloensis has been proposed but “the description is woefully incomplete and the locality data are likely suspect” (CAMPBELL & LAMAR 1989: 376). Sistrurus ravus lutescens (HARRIS & SIMMONS 1978) is not listed in WELCH 1994 and not recognized as subspecies by GOLAY et al. (1993).

Type Species: Crotalus ravus COPE 1865 is the type species of the genus Piersonus HOSER 2009 and is diagnosed as follows: “Large plates on the crown including the centre. 21 mid-body rows. Relatively short tail as compared to the snakes in the genus Sistrurus. For Piersonus gen. nov. males have an average tail length of 9.8 per cent of the total body length and females 7.7 per cent of the total body length. In Sistrurus the lateral hook of the squamosal makes an acute angle (45 to 80 degrees) with the main part of the bone. In Piersonus gen. nov., the lateral process of the squamosal is substantially at right angles to the main part of the bone. In Sistrurus, the upper preocular is in contact with the postnasal, the rostral is not curved over the snout, cathus rostralis is sharply angled, dorsal body blotches are square or wider than long. By contrast in Piersonus gen. nov. the upper preocular is not in contact with the postnasal, the rostral is curved over the snout, canthus rostralis is rounded, the dorsal body blotches are longer than wide or the colour is black.” (from HOSER 2009).

Nomenclature: Hoser’s 2009 classification and nomenclature has been rejected as unnecessary and unavailable by WÜSTER & BERNILS 2011.

Distribution: see map in Blair et al. 2018: 352 (Fig. 1). 
EtymologyNamed after Latin ravus = gray-yellow, gray, tawny = yellow-brown; some Latin dictionaries translate ravus also as hoarse, cooled.

S. r. lutescens was named after Latin Lutescens = yellow tinged. 
References
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