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Hypnale hypnale (MERREM, 1820)

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Higher TaxaViperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Hump-nosed Moccasin
G: Indische Nasenotter 
SynonymCophias 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 
DistributionSri 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).  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesNeotype: BNHS = BNHM 2531:759 (designated by Maduwage et al. 2009), Female; the neotype is also the lectotype of Ancistrodon millardi Wall, 1908. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: 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)


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CommentVenomous!

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. 
References
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  • Bhupathy, Subramanian & N. Sathishkumar 2013. Status of reptiles in Meghamalai and its environs, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5 (15): 4953-4961 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum, Vol. 3. London (Taylor & Francis), xiv + 727 pp. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, George A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp. - get paper here
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