Trimeresurus vogeli DAVID, VIDAL & PAUWELS, 2001
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Higher Taxa | Viperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Vogel’s Pit Viper |
Synonym | Trimeresurus vogeli DAVID, VIDAL & PAUWELS 2001 Trimeresurus vogeli — GUMPRECHT et al. 2004 Viridovipera vogeli — MALHOTRA & THORPE 2004 Viridovipera vogeli — ZIEGLER et al. 2007 Viridovipera vogeli — DAWSON et al. 2008 Trimeresurus (Viridovipera) vogeli — DAVID et al. 2011 Trimeresurus vogeli — LIVIGNI 2013: 396 Viridovipera vogeli — WALLACH et al. 2014: 790 Viridovipera vogeli — CHAN-ARD et al. 2015: 288 Viridovipera vogel — GUO et al. 2018 (in error) Trimeresurus vogeli— RATHEE et al. 2022 Trimeresurus (Viridovipera) vogeli — MIRZA et al. 2023 |
Distribution | Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima), Cambodia, Laos und Vietnam Type locality: Headquarters area, Khao Yai National Park (14° 21’ N, 101° 31’ E), Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. |
Reproduction | ovovivparous |
Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 1999.9036, adult male; Paratypes: (n=7) adult specimens, MNHN 1999.9037, female, Nakhon Ratchasima Province; ZFMK 74555(1), female, Nakhon Ratchasima Province; MNHN 1999.9038, female, Nakhon Ratchasima Province; MNHN 1999.9039, male, Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima Province; MNHN 1990.4246, male, Thailand (through the pet trade); RFI 1547, male, Nakhon Ratchasima Province; RMNH 16713, female, Pakonschai, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. (David et al. 2001) |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A species of the genus Trimeresurus, characterized by (1) hemipenes short and strongly spinose, similar to Trimeresurus stejnegeri; (2) an overall green dorsum, rather dark green in males with faint dark crossbands, and bright, grass-green in females; (3) size very large, with distinct sexual dimorphism: females up to at least 1100 mm SVL, males seldom if ever above 800 mm SVL; (4) a constant lack of red color in the postocular streak in both males and females; this streak is whitish yellow and rather faint in males, and often absent in females; (5) a more or less well-defined white, whitish blue, whitish yellow or even bright yellow ventrolateral stripe in both sexes, not or rarely bordered below by a thin rusty red line in some adult or subadult males, a very unusual condition in the subgroup of T. stejnegeri, and never red in subadult and adult females; (6) the constant presence of white vertebral spots in males at any age, whereas they are always absent in females; (7) tail mostly green, with only the tip or the last 20% of its length mottled with rusty brown; (8) eyes yellow or yellowish green in both sexes; (9) tail average, with a ratio TaLTL in females ranging from 0.15 to 0.165; (10) large, thick heads in both sexes, very stout in females; (11) first supralabial distinct from nasal; (12) 21 dorsal scale rows at midbody, strongly keeled; (13) an elongated snout covered with rather small scales; (14) internasals always separated by 1 or 2 (rarely 3) scales; (15) large, irregular supraoculars, as wide as internasals, separated by 11 – 15 small and smooth cephalic scales. Trimeresurus vogeli differs from all other green pitvipers by the combination of the following characters: (1) its short, spinose hemipenis; (2) its first supralabials is separated from the nasal; (3) its ventrolateral stripes nearly always white, whitish blue or whitish yellow when present, very seldom red in males; (4) white vertebral spots are always present in males, always absent in females; (5) less than 174 ventrals; (6) no more than about 25% of its tail is rusty red. These and further characters are detailed below by DAVID et al. 2001. |
Comment | Venomous! Habitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). |
Etymology | Named after Dr. Gernot Vogel (Heidelberg, Germany), who noticed the distinct status of this taxon and gathered both in the wild and in captivity the invaluable data on its morphology and biology which were largely used in this study. |
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