You are here » home › advanced search › Ovophis monticola

Ovophis monticola (GÜNTHER, 1864)

IUCN Red List - Ovophis monticola - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Ovophis monticola?

Add your own observation of
Ovophis monticola »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaViperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Chinese Mountain Pit Viper (orientalis: Oriental mountain pitviper, zhaokentangi: Gaoligong mountain pitviper)
G: Berg-Grubenotter
Chinese: 山烙铁头蛇 
SynonymTrimeresurus monticola GÜNTHER 1864: 388
Trimeresurus monticola — ANDERSON 1871: 194
Lachesis monticola — VENNING 1910: 775
Lachesis monticola — DE ROOIJ 1917: 282
Trimeresurus monticola monticola — MELL 1929
Trimeresurus monticola meridionalis BOURRET 1935
Trimeresurus monticola — SMITH 1943: 508
Trimeresurus monticola — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Ovophis monticola meridionalis — HOGE & ROMANO-HOGE 1981
Trimeresurus monticola meridionalis — ISKANDAR 1986
Ovophis monticola monticola — GOLAY et al. 1993
Ovophis monticola monticola — WELCH 1994: 95
Ovophis monticola meridionalis — WELCH 1994: 95
Ovophis monticola — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 406
Ovophis monticola — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOUIRÉ 1999: 316
Trimeresurus monticola — SHARMA 2004
Ovophis monticola — MALHOTRA et al. 2004
Ovophis monticola monticola — GUMPRECHT et al. 2004
Ovophis monticola monticola — ZHAO 2006: 132
Ovophis monticola — WALLACH et al. 2014: 514
Ovophis monticola — ZENG et al. 2023 
Distributionmonticola: Bangladesh (? not confirmed); India (Assam, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland); Myanmar (Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions, and Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Shan states), Nepal; Bhutan, China (Xizang Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province), S Laos, N/C Vietnam, NE/SW Cambodia, Thailand (southward up to Chumphon Province).

(meridionalis): Cambodia, Laos, West Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam

orientalis: China (Fukien, Chekiang), Hong Kong

Type locality: Nepal and Sikkim.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: BMNH 1946.1.18.76 and 1946.1.19.91 
DiagnosisDIAGNOSIS (DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS). Body stout; snout short, a little more than twice the length of the diameter of the eye; head covered above by small scales rather than large shields, scales usually smooth, feebly imbricate; first upper labial not fused to nasal, completely separated by a suture; body scales, smooth or weakly keeled, in 23–25, occasionally 19 or 21 longitudinal rows at midbody; supraoculars large, 5–9 scales in a line between them; internasals usually not in contact with one another, separated by 2 small suprapostrostral scales; 7–10 upper labials, second usually fused to the scale bordering the facial sensory pit anteriorly, fourth and fifth beneath eye but separated from orbit by 2–4 series of small scales; ventrals and subcaudals (Myanmar, northeastern India and adjacent areas of China and Thailand) 137–176 and 36–62 respectively, Pseudelaphesubcaudals mixed paired and single, occasionally all unpaired (ventrals and subcaudals for southern China, Vietnam, Laos: 127–144 and 36–54, and Malaysian Peninsula: 133–137 and 22–28 respectively [fide Smith 1943:509]). Total length males 490 mm, females 1100; tail length males 80 mm, females 150 mm. [after LEVITON 2003]


Additional details (130 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: Ovophis monticola orientalis has been synonymized with Ovophis makazayazaya.

Subspecies: GOLAY et al. (1993) recognized four subspecies, monticola, convictus, makazayazaya, and zayuensis while DAVID & VOGEL (1996) mentioned only 3 (monticola, orientalis, and zhaokentangi). MCDARMID et al. (1999) didn’t explicitely adopt any of these arrangements by listing all of these forms in the synonymy of monticola. However, they “prefer to treat zayuensis as a subspecies of O. monticola.” Ovophis monticola zayuensis (JIANG 1977) is treated here as a full species. Ovophis (monticola) convictus (STOLICZKA, 1870) is listed here as a valid species.

Type species: Trimeresurus monticola Günther 1864 is the type species of the genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge and Romano-Hoge, 1981:246. However, the genus Ovophis was not supported in a recent DNA analysis by TU et al. (2000).

Types: The name-bearing type specimens of Trimeresurus monticola meridionalis Bourret, 1935 are shown to be composed of two primary syntypes that are referable to Ovophis monticola (Günther, 1864) as currently conceived, and a secondary syntype that belongs to Ovophis convictus (Stoliczka, 1870). David & Vogel 2012 selected one of the primary syntypes from northwestern Vietnam as the lectotype of T. monticola meridionalis Bourret, 1935 and fixed the status of this taxon as a junior subjective synonym of Ovophis monticola.

The original description is available online (see link below).

Distribution: not in Hong Kong fide Francis 2021. 
EtymologyThe species name, ‘monticola’, is Latin for ‘inhabitant of the mountains’ (Latin “colere” = inhabiting). 
References
  • Anderson, J. 1871. On some Indian reptiles. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1871: 149-211 - get paper here
  • Ao J. M., David P., Bordoloi S., Ohler A. 2004. Notes on a collection of snakes from Nagaland, Northeast India, with 19 new records for this state. Russian Journal of Herpetology 11 (2): 155 – 162
  • Athreya, R. 2006. Eaglenest Biodiversity Project (2003 – 2006): Conservation resources for Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary. Kaati Trust, Pune, 196 pp. - get paper here
  • Barbour, Thomas 1909. Notes on Amphibia and Reptilia from Eastern Asia. Proc. New England zool. Club 4: 53-78, 2 plates - get paper here
  • Bhattarai S., Gurung A., Lamichhane BR., Regmi R., Dhungana M., Kumpakha B. and Subedi N. 2020. Amphibians and Reptiles of Chure Range, Nepal. President Chure Terai-Madhesh Conservation Development Board and National Trust for Nature Conservation, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal
  • Bhupathy, S., Ramesh Kumar, S., Paramanandham, J., Thirumalainathan, P. and Pranjit Kumar Sarma 2013. Conservation of reptiles in Nagaland, India. In: K. K. Singh et al. (editors), Bioresources and Traditional Knowledge of Northeast India, Mizo Post-Graduate Science Society, pp. 181-186
  • Boulenger, G.A., Annandale, N., Wall, F. & Regan, C.T. 1907. Reports on a collection of batrachia, reptiles and fish from Nepal and the western Himalayas. Lacertilia. Records of the Indian Museum 1:149—155 - get paper here
  • Bourret, R. 1935. Notes herpétologiques sur l'Indochine Française VIII. Sur les Achalinus d’Indochine. Bull. Gen. Instr. Publ., Hanoi (9): 13
  • Chan-ard,T.; Grossmann,W.; Gumprecht,A. & Schulz,K. D. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand - an illustrated checklist [bilingual English and German]. Bushmaster Publications, Würselen, Gemany, 240 pp. [book review in Russ. J Herp. 7: 87] - get paper here
  • Cox, Merel J.; Van Dijk, Peter Paul; Jarujin Nabhitabhata & Thirakhupt,Kumthorn 1998. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Ralph Curtis Publishing, 144 pp.
  • Das, Abhijit; Uttam Saikia, B. H. C. K. Murthy, Santanu Dey and Sushil K. Dutta 2009. A herpetofaunal inventory of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent regions, Assam, north-eastern India. Hamadryad 34 (1): 117 – 134 - get paper here
  • Das, I. 2012. A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of South-East Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford J, ohn Beaufoy Publishing - get paper here
  • David, P. 1995. Ovophis tonkiensis (Tonkin pitviper). Herpetological Review 26 (3): 157. - get paper here
  • DAVID, PATRICK & GERNOT VOGEL 2012. On the status of Trimeresurus monticola meridionalis Bourret, 1935 (Squamata: Viperidae). Zootaxa 3304: 43–53 - get paper here
  • David, Patrick; Tong, Haiyan 1997. Translations of recent descriptions of Chinese pitvipers of the Trimeresurus-complex (Serpentes, Viperidae), with a key to the complex in China and adjacent areas. Smithsonian Herp. Inf. Serv. (112): 1-31 - get paper here
  • de Rooij, N. DE 1917. The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Il. Ophidia. Leiden (E. J. Brill), xiv + 334 S. - get paper here
  • Dowling, H.G., & Jenner, J.V. 1988. Snakes of Burma: checklist of reported species and bibliography. Smithsonian Herp. Inf. Serv. (76): 19 pp. - get paper here
  • Dreckmann, F. 1908. Breeding habits of some Snakes and Lizards. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 434 - get paper here
  • Gautam, Bivek; Mukesh Kumar Chalise, Kul Bahadur Thapa, and Santosh Bhattarai 2020. Distributional patterns of amphibians and reptiles in Ghandruk, Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians 27 (1): 18–28 - get paper here
  • Grismer, L. Lee; Chan K. Onn, Jesse L. Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., and A. Norhayati 2010. A CHECKLIST OF THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE BANJARAN BINTANG, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA. Russ. J. Herpetol. 17 (2): 147-160 - get paper here
  • Gumprecht, A.; Tillack, F.; Orlov, N.L.; Captain, A. & Ryabow, S. 2004. Asian pitvipers. Geitje Books, Berlin, 368 pp.
  • Günther, A. 1864. The Reptiles of British India. London (Taylor & Francis), xxvii + 452 pp. - get paper here
  • Guo, P.; Jadin, R.C.; Malhotra, A. & Li, C. 2009. An investigation of the cranial evolution of Asian pitvipers (Serpentes: Crotalinae), with comments on the phylogenetic position of Peltopelor macrolepis. Acta Zoologica 91: 402-407 - get paper here
  • Guo, Peng; Lu, Shunqing; Huang, Song; Zhao, Hui; Zhao, Ermi 2006. Hemipenial morphology of five Asian pitvipers, with a discussion on their taxonomy. Amphibia-Reptilia 27 (1): 19-23 - get paper here
  • Kästle , W., Rai, K. & Schleich, H.H. 2013. FIELD GUIDE to Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal. ARCO-Nepal e.V., 625 pp. - get paper here
  • Kramer, E. 1977. Zur Schlangenfauna Nepals. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 84 (3): 721-761. - get paper here
  • Laita, Mark 2013. Serpentine. Abrams and PQ Blackwell, Auckland, New Zealand, 200 unnumbered pages
  • Lalbiakzuala; Lalrinsanga; Vanlalchhuana, M; Romalsawma; Lianzela, S & Lalremsanga, H T; 2019. Ovophis monticola (Mountain Pit-Viper) Reproduction. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 599 - get paper here
  • Lalremsanga, H.T.; Saipari Sailo and Chinliansiama 2011. Diversity of Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) and Role of Environmental Factors in Their Distribution in Mizoram, Northeast India. Advances in Environmental Chemistry - get paper here
  • Lenz, Norbert 2012. Von Schmetterlingen und Donnerdrachen - Natur und Kultur in Bhutan. Karlsruher Naturhefte 4, Naturkundemuseum Karlsruhe, 124 pp.
  • Leviton, Alan E.; Guinevere O.U. Wogan; Michelle S. Koo; George R. Zug; Rhonda S. Lucas and Jens V. Vindum 2003. The Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Myanmar Illustrated Checklist with Keys. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 54 (24): 407–462 - get paper here
  • Luu, V. Q., Dinh, T. S., Lo, O. V., Nguyen, T. Q. and Ziegler, T. 2020. New records and an updated list of reptiles from Ba Vi National Park, Vietnam. Bonn Zoological Bulletin 69: 1-9.
  • Malhotra, Anita & Thorpe, Roger S. 2004. A phylogeny of four mitochondrial gene regions suggests a revised taxonomy for Asian pitvipers (Trimeresurus and Ovophis). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32: 83 –100 [erratum p. 680] - get paper here
  • Malhotra, Anita; Karen Dawson, Peng Guo and Roger S. Thorpe 2011. Phylogenetic structure and species boundaries in the mountain pitviper Ovophis monticola (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) in Asia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59 (2): 444-457 - get paper here
  • Manthey, U. & Grossmann, W. 1997. Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 512 pp. - get paper here
  • McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp.
  • Nanhoe, L.M.R., & Ouboter, P.E. 1987. The distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri region (Nepal). Zoologische Verhandelingen (240): 1-105 - get paper here
  • Nguyen, S.V., Ho, C.T. and Nguyen, T.Q. 2009. Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 768 pp.
  • Orlov, N.; Ananjeva, N.; Barabanov, A.; Ryabov, S. & Khalikov, R. 2002. Diversity of vipers (Azemiopinae, Crotalinae) in East, Southeast, and South Asia: annotated checklist and natural history data (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: Viperidae). Faun. Abh. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 23: 177-218
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Pham AV, Ziegler T, Nguyen TQ 2020. New records and an updated checklist of snakes from Son La Province, Vietnam. Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e52779 - get paper here
  • Purkayastha J. 2013. An Amateur’s Guide to Reptiles of Assam. EBH Publishers (India) - get paper here
  • Qiu X-C, Wang J-Z, Xia Z-Y, Jiang Z-W, Zeng Y, Wang N, Li P-P, Shi J-S 2024. A new mountain pitviper of the genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 (Serpentes, Viperidae) from Yunnan, China. ZooKeys 1203: 173-187 - get paper here
  • Sharma, R. C. 2004. Handbook Indian Snakes. AKHIL BOOKS, New Delhi, 292 pp.
  • Sharma, S.K., Pandey, D.P., Shah, K.B., Tillack, E, Chappuis, E, Thapa, C. L., AiroI, E. & Kuch, U. 2013. Venomous snakes of Nepal: a photographic guide. B.P. Kolrala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 85 pp. - get paper here
  • Smedley, N. 1932. Amphibians and reptiles from the Cameron Highlands, Malay Peninsula. Bull. Raffles Mus. 6: 105 - 123 [1931] - get paper here
  • Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London. 583 pp.
  • Stejneger, L. 1910. The batrachians and reptiles of Formosa. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 38: 91-114 - get paper here
  • Stoliczka, F. 1870. Observations on some Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 39: 134-228. - get paper here
  • Stuart, B.L. & Heatwole, H. 2008. Country records of snakes from Laos. Hamadryad 33: 97–106 - get paper here
  • Swan, L.W., & Leviton, A.E. 1962. The herpetology of Nepal: a history, check list, and zoogeographical analysis of the herpetofauna. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 32 (6) (4.s.): 103-147. - get paper here
  • Takahashi, T. 1922. Japanese Venomous Snakes. [in Japanese]. Tabuchi Lithography, Taipei. (1), (I),<br>(3), (1), 7 pages
  • Taylor,E.H. 1965. The serpents of Thailand and adjacent waters. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 45 (9): 609-1096 - get paper here
  • TEYNIÉ, ALEXANDRE; PATRICK DAVID, & ANNEMARIE OHLER 2010. Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo. Zootaxa 2416: 1–43 - get paper here
  • Tillack, F.; Shah, K.B.; Gumprecht, A. & Husain, A. 2003. Anmerkungen zur Verbreitung, Morphologie, Biologie, Haltung und Nachzucht der Berg-Grubenotter Ovophis monticola monticola (GÜNTHER, 1864) (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae). Sauria 25 (4): 29-46 - get paper here
  • Tshewang, S. & L. Letro 2018. The herpetofauna of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in central Bhutan: status, distribution and new records. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(11): 12489–12498; - get paper here
  • Venning, F.E.W. 1910. Further notes on snakes from the Chin Hills. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 770-775 - get paper here
  • Wall, F. 1906. The poisonous snakes of India and how to recognize them, Part II. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 17: 299-334 - get paper here
  • Wall,F. 1908. Notes on a collection of snakes from the Khasi Hills, Assam. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 312-337 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Wang, Kai; Jinlong Ren, Hongman Chen, Zhitong Lyu, Xianguang Guo Ke Jiang, Jinmin Chen, Jiatang Li, Peng Guo, Yingyong Wang, Jing Che 2020. The updated checklists of amphibians and reptiles of China. Biodiversity Science 28 (2): 189-218 - get paper here
  • Wangyal, Jigme Tshelthrim 2019. The status of herpetofauna of Bhutan. District Forest Office, District Administration, Trashigang, Bhutan, 20-39 - get paper here
  • Whitaker, Romulus and Ashok Captain 2004. Snakes of India. Draco Books, 500 pp., reprinted 2007 - get paper here
  • Wright, A. 1919. The Bite of the Large Spotted Viper (Lachesis monticola). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 26: 681-682 - get paper here
  • Yang, J.-H., X.-Y. Huang, J.-F. Ye, S.-P. Yang, X.-.C. Zhang & B.P.-L. Chan 2019. A report on the herpetofauna of Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, China. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(11): 14434–14451 - get paper here
  • Zeng, Y.-M., Li, K., Liu, Q., Wu, Y.-Y., Hou, S.-B., Zhao, G.-G., Nguyen, S N., Guo, P., & Shi, L. 2023. New insights into the phylogeny and evolution of Chinese Ovophis (Serpentes, Viperidae): Inferred from multilocus data. Zoologica Scripta, 52, 358– 369 - get paper here
  • Zhao, E. M. & Jiang,Y. M. 1977. A survey of reptiles in Xizang Autonomous Region, with faunal analysis & descriptions of new forms. [in Chinese] Acta Zool. Sinica, Peking, 23: 64-71
  • Zhao, E.M. 1995. Infraspecific classification of some Chinese snakes. Sichuan Journal of Zoology, 14 (3): 107-112. - get paper here
  • Zhao, E.M. 2006. The snakes of China [in Chinese]. Hefei, China, Anhui Sience & Technology Publ. House, Vol. I, 372 pp., Vol. II (color plates), 280 pp.
  • Zhao, Er-mi 1997. Infraspecific classification of some Chinese snakes. Asiatic Herpetological Research 7: 170-172 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator