Trimeresurus cardamomensis (MALHOTRA, THORPE, MRINALINI & STUART, 2011)
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Trimeresurus cardamomensis
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| Higher Taxa | Viperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Cardamom Mountains Green Pitviper |
| Synonym | Cryptelytrops cardamomensis MALHOTRA, THORPE, MRINALINI & STUART 2011 Trimeresurus macrops KRAMER 1977 Trimeresurus macrops — KRAMER (1977): 757 (part) Trimeresurus macrops — REGENASS and KRAMER (1981):184 (part); Trimeresurus macrops — GUMPRECHT (1998): 25 (part) Trimeresurus macrops — ORLOV et al. (2002a): 193 (part) Trimeresurus macrops — ORLOV et al. (2002b): 353 (part) Trimeresurus macrops — GUMPRECHT et al. (2004): 230 (part) Cryptelytrops macrops — STUART and EMMETT (2006): 23 Cryptelytrops macrops — GRISMER et al. (2007): 232 Cryptelytrops macrops — GRISMER et al. (2008a): 24 Cryptelytrops macrops — GRISMER et al. (2008b): 166 Trimeresurus (Trimeresurus) cardamomensis — DAVID et al. 2011 Trimeresurus cardamomensis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 741 Trimeresurus (Trimeresurus) cardamomensis— MIRZA et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | SE Thailand, Cambodia (Koh Kong Province), Vietnam (iNaturalist) Type locality: root of a strangler fig growing from a tree trunk 1 m above the ground in semi-evergreen forest on Phnom Chan Mountain, Cardamom Mountains, Sre Ambel District, Koh Kong Province, Cambodia (11.44° N, 103.79° E), 100–200 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: FMNH 259191, adult female, collected on 25 August 2000 by BLS and S. Platt. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Cryptelytrops cardamomensis sp. nov. is distinguished from C. venustus, C. honsonensis and C. kanburiensis, by the absence of purple-red marking (banding on the body and blotches on the head). It is distinguished from all other Asian pitviper species which have the typical "green pitviper" colouration (uniform green dorsal colour and a lateral stripe present on the first few dorsal scale rows in one or both sexes), except other species of Cryptelytrops (including C. albolabris, C. insularis and C. septentrionalis), by the presence of a fused first supralabial and nasal scale. It can be distinguished from C. albolabris, C. insularis and C. septentrionalis primarily by the relatively larger size of the eye (most obvious in adults), the relatively wider supraoculars, and the shape of the head. The latter is more elongate–oval in C. albolabris, C. insularis and C. septentrionalis, but widens quite abruptly behind the eyes in C. cardamomensis, C. macrops s.s. and C. rubeus sp. nov. (described below) to give a characteristically triangular shaped head. Cryptelytrops cardamomensis can be distinguished from both C. macrops s.s. and C. rubeus using a combination of the following characters (for further details see Table 2). In males, C. cardamomensis tends to have more scales between the rear edges of the supraoculars (BTWSUPOC2), a relatively larger eye (DEYE), and a more prominent postocular white stripe (SCROC) than either C. macrops s.s, or C. rubeus. Furthermore, compared to C. macrops s.s, the scale reduction from 19 to 17 scale rows around the body (VS19TO17) tends to occur further away from the head, it tends to have fewer (larger) scales bordering the supralabial scales (BORSUPOC), and less keeled temporal scales (KTEMP). Compared to C. rubeus, the scale reduction from 19 to 17 scale rows around the body tends to involve higher (i.e., more dorsal) scale rows (DV19TO17); it tends to have more keeled body scales at mid-body (BSCK), and more scales between the last supralabial and the chin shields (VENTEDGE). In females, the lateral white stripe is much more prominent (STRIPE), always involving the first two dorsal scale rows. Furthermore, it tends to cover a larger proportion of the first scale row (SCR1) than in females of C. macrops s.s. A small scale is present between the nasal scale and the scale bordering the anterior edge of the pit (NASPIT), whereas this is infrequently present in C. macrops s.s. and never present in C. rubeus. Crytpelytrops cardamomensis tends to have more (smaller) scales bordering the supralabial scales (BORSUPOC) than C. rubeus, but fewer (larger) than in C. macrops s.s. The scale reduction from 19 to 17 scale rows around the body (DV19TO17) tends to involve lower scale rows in C. cardamomensis and the fusion between the first labial and nasal scale tends to be more complete (LABNAS) and involve partial sutures on both sides of the nostril (compare Figs. 3, 5 and 7), than in either C. macrops s.s, or C. rubeus. Furthermore, compared to C. macrops s.s, , the scale reduction from 19 to 17 scale rows around the body (VS19TO17) tends to occur further away from the head, it tends to have more scales between the rear edges of the supraoculars (BTWSUPOC2), a higher number of sublabial scales (SUBLAB), and a relatively smaller eye (DEYE). Compared to C. rubeus, it has more keeled body scales at mid-body (BSCK), the scale reduction from 12 to 10 scale rows around the tail (SC12O10) also tends to occur further away from the vent, and there are a larger number of ventral scales in C. cardamomensis females than in C. rubeus females [from MALHOTRA et al. 2011]. |
| Comment | Venomous! |
| Etymology | The name refers to the mountain range wherein the type locality of this species occurs. |
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