You are here » home › advanced search › Trimeresurus stejnegeri

Trimeresurus stejnegeri SCHMIDT, 1925

iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Trimeresurus stejnegeri?

Add your own observation of
Trimeresurus stejnegeri »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaViperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesTrimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii ZHAO 1995
Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri SCHMIDT 1925 
Common NamesE: Chinese Green Tree Viper, Stejneger’s Bamboo pitviper; chenbihuii: Chen’s Bamboo pitviper
G: Stejnegers Bambusotter, Chinesische Bambusotter
Chinese: 福建竹叶青蛇 
SynonymTrimeresurus stejnegeri SCHMIDT 1925: 4
Trimeresurus gramineus — STEJNEGER 1907: 480
Trimeresurus graminaeus kodairai MAKI 1931
Trimeresurus graminaeus formosensis MAKI 1931 (non T. monticola formosensis MELL 1929)
Trimeresurus gramineus formosensis MAKI 1931
Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri — POPE 1935
Trimeresurus gramineus kodairai MAKI 1931
Trimeresurus stejnegeri makii KLEMMER 1963 Nom. nov.)
Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri — WELCH 1994: 117
Trimeresurus stejnegeri — COX et al. 1998: 21
Trimeresurus stejnegeri — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 344
Trimeresurus stejnegeri — TU et al. 2000
Viridovipera stejnegeri — MALHOTRA & THORPE 2004
Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri — GUMPRECHT et al. 2004
Viridovipera stejnegeri — DAWSON et al. 2008
Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Trimeresurus (Viridovipera) stejnegeri — DAVID et al. 2011
Viridovipera stejnegeri — WALLACH et al. 2014: 790
Viridovipera stejnegeri — GUO et al. 2018
Trimeresurus stejnegeri — RATHEE et al. 2022
Viridovipera stejnegeri — WANG et al. 2022
Trimeresurus (Viridovipera) stejnegeri — MIRZA et al. 2023

Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii ZHAO 1995
Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii ZHAO 1995
Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii — GUMPRECHT et al. 2004
Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii — NGUYEN et al. 2009
Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii — DAVID & VOGEL 2015 
DistributionS China (from Yunnan north SE Gansu and east to Jiangsu; Jilin; Kwangsi, Kwangung, Hainan, Fukien, Chekiang), Taiwan (incl. Lanyu),
India (Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam), Myanmar (= Burma) (?? - see comment), Vietnam, Laos

chenbihuii: Hainan. Type locality: Diaoluo Shan, Lingshui Co., Hainan Province, China (150 m).

Type locality: Shaowu, Fukien, China.  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: AMNH 21054
Holotype: CIB 64III5599 [chenbihuii]
Holotype: NSMT H02830 [formosensis]
Holotype: NSMT H02839 [kodairai] 
DiagnosisDIAGNOSIS (DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS). Scales in 21 longitudinal rows at midbody; 9–11 upper labials, first upper labials separated from nasals by a distinct suture; a single narrow supraocular, sometimes divided by transverse suture; 11–16 scales in a line between supraoculars; above bright to dark green, below pale green to whitish, the two separated by a bright bicolored orange or brown (below) and white (above) (males) or bicolored or white only (females) ventrolateral stripe, which occupies the whole of the outermost scale row and a portion of the second row; ventrals 150–174, subcaudals 54–77 (but see David et al. [2002:218 and 2001:215] for geographic distribution of these data), all paired; hemipenes short, spinose beyond bifurcation. Total length 750 mm, tail length 145 mm. [after LEVITON 2003] 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: Guo et al. 2016 called Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii “most probably an invalid taxon”, hence we synonymized it with steijnegeri.

Subspecies: Trimeresurus yunnanensis is considered a subspecies of Trimeresurus stejnegeri by many authors (like ZHAO & ADLER 1993). According to Vogel (pers. comm.) no subspecies of Trimeresurus stejnegeri are currently recognized. GOLAY et al. (1993) and MCDIARMID et al. (1999) recognize two subspecies, stejnegeri and yunnanensis (the latter is considered as a valid species here).

Distribution: Specimens from Thailand have been assigned to T. vogeli and T. gumprechti, hence T. stejnegeri does not occur in Thailand (GUMPRECHT & BULIAN 2003). All records of T. stejnegeri from MYANMAR have been referred to Trimeresurus yunnanensis (see LEVITON et al. 2003). GUMPRECHT et al. (2004) recognize only 2 subspecies, stejnegeri and chenbihuii. Possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012).

Type species: Trimeresurus stejnegeri is the type species of the genus Viridovipera MALHOTRA & THORPE (2004). The genus is diagnosed by the possession of a Type 1 spinose hemipenis.

Habitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after Leonhard Hess Stejneger (1851-1943), Norwegian-born herpetologist who moved to the US in 1881 and became curator of reptiles at the Smithsonian Institution in 1889.

T. s. chenbihuii has been named after Prof. Bi-Hui Chen of Anhui Normal University, but the validity of this subspecies has also been questioned (see ZIEGLER 2002 for a discussion). 
References
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Castellano, S.;Malhotra, A.;Thorpe, R.S. 1994. Within-Island Geographic Variation of the Dangerous Taiwanese Snake, Trimeresurus stejnegeri, in Relation to Ecology. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 52 (4): 365-375 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Chang, Yi-Chun; Hua-Ching Lin, Shou-Hsien Li and Ming-Hsung Chang 2016. Isolation and characterisation of 20 microsatellite loci from the Chinese green tree viper Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri. Amphibia-Reptilia 37 (1): 126 - 130 - 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.
  • Creer, S.; Malhotra, A.; Thorpe, R.S.; Chou, W.H. 2001. Multiple causation of phylogeographical pattern as revealed by nested clade analysis of the bamboo viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri) within Taiwan. Molecular Ecology 10(8):1967-1981 - 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. & Vogel, G. 2015. An updated list of Asian pitvipers and a selection of recent publications, in: Visser: Asian Pitvipers. Breeding Experience & Wildlife. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, 571pp. ISBN 978-3-89973-450-8 - get paper here
  • David, P., G. Vogel, O.S.G. Pauwels & N. Vidal 2002. Description of a new species of the genus Trimeresurus from Thailand, related to Trimeresurus stejnegeri Schmidt, 1925 (Serpentes, Crotalidae). Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University, 2 (1): 5-19 - get paper here
  • David, Patrick, Ashok Captain and Bharat B. Bhatt 2002. On the occurrence of Trimeresurus medoensis Djao in: Djao & Jaing, 1977 (Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae) in India, with a redescription of the species and notes on its biology. Hamadryad 26(2):210-226 [2001] - get paper here
  • DAVID, PATRICK; GERNOT VOGEL & ALAIN DUBOIS 2011. On the need to follow rigorously the Rules of the Code for the subsequent designation of a nucleospecies (type species) for a nominal genus which lacked one: the case of the nominal genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia: Squamata: Viperidae). Zootaxa 2992: 1–51 - 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
  • Dawson, Karen; Anita Malhotra, Roger S. Thorpe, Peng Guo, Mrinalini and Thomas Ziegler 2008. Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals a new member of the Asian pitviper genus Viridovipera (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 356-361 - get paper here
  • Dowling, H.G. 2002. “Intraspecific variation of the hemipenis”, a correction , with comments on other erroneous descriptions. Herpetological Review 33 (1): 12-14 - 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
  • Forest Protection Department of Bac Giang Province 2010. Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve: Biodiversity Conservation Value and Development Potential. Publishing House for Science and Technology, 37 pp.
  • Gawor, A., C. T. Pham, T. Q. Nguyen, T. T. Nguyen, A. Schmitz & T. Ziegler 2016. The herpetofauna of the Bai Tu Long National Park, northeastern Vietnam. Salamandra 52 (1): 23-41 - get paper here
  • Geissler, Peter, Truong Quang Nguyen, Nikolay A. Poyarkov & Wolfgang Böhme 2011. New records of snakes from Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai and Lam Dong provinces, southern Vietnam. Bonn zoological Bulletin 60 (1): 9-16 - get paper here
  • Gumprecht, A. 1997. Die Bambusottern der Gattung Trimeresurus Lacépède Teil I: Zur Biologie der chinesischen Bambusotter Trimeresurus stejnegeri SCHMIDT 1925. Sauria 19 (3): 9-30 - get paper here
  • Gumprecht, A. & Bulian, J. 2003. Die Bambusottern der Gattung Trimeresurus LACEPÈDE Teil VIII: Nachträge und Anmerkungen zur Checkliste der Trimeresurus-Arten Thailands. Sauria 25 (4): 15-17 - get paper here
  • Gumprecht, A.; Tillack, F.; Orlov, N.L.; Captain, A. & Ryabow, S. 2004. Asian pitvipers. Geitje Books, Berlin, 368 pp.
  • Gumprecht,A. 2001. Die Bambusottern der Gattung Trimeresurus Lacépède Teil IV: Checkliste der Trimeresurus-Arten Thailands. Sauria 23 (2): 25-32 - get paper here
  • Guo, P. et al. 2016. Complex longitudinal diversification across South China and Vietnam in Stejneger's pitviper, Viridovipera stejnegeri (Schmidt, 1925) (Reptilia: Serpentes: Viperidae). Molecular Ecology, doi: 10.1111/mec.13658 - get paper here
  • Guo, P., F. J. Zhang, and Y. Y. Chen. 1999. Catalogue of type specimens of reptiles in the Herpetological Collections of Chengdu Institute of Biology,the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Asiatic Herpetological Research 8: 43~47 - 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
  • Guo, Peng; Qin Liu, Guanghui Zhong, Fei Zhu, Fang Yan, Ting Tang, Rong Xiao, Min Fang, Ping Wang and Xin Fu 2015. Cryptic diversity of green pitvipers in Yunnan, South-west China (Squamata, Viperidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 36 (3): 265 - 276 - get paper here
  • Guo, Y. 2024. Scale Microornamentation of Six Species of Venomous Snakes from China. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 31(3), 168-175 - get paper here
  • Hanh, Ngo Thi; Nguyen Quang Truong, Nguyen Vu Minh Hanh, Luu Quang Vinh, Vilay Phimphasone, Ha Van Nghia, Thomas Ziegler, Minh Duc Le 2022. MOLECULAR ASSESSMENT OF PITVIPER POPULATIONS (GENUS TRIMERESURUS) IN LAOS AND VIETNAM REVEALS NEW COUNTRY RECORD AND OVERLOOKED DIVERSITY. Vietnam Journal of Biotechnology 20(4): 589-598,
  • Harrington, Sean M; Jordyn M de Haan, Lindsey Shapiro, Sara Ruane 2018. Habits and characteristics of arboreal snakes worldwide: arboreality constrains body size but does not affect lineage diversification. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 125 (1): 61–71 - get paper here
  • Hecht, Vera L.; Cuong T. Pham, Tao T. Nguyen, Truong Q. Nguyen, Michael Bonkowski & Thomas Ziegler 2013. First report on the herpetofauna of Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve, northeastern Vietnam. Biodiversity Journal 4 (4): 507–552
  • Hidetoshi Ota 1991. Taxonomic Status of Mabuya multicarinata (Gray, 1845) (Scincidae: Squamata: Reptilia) from Taiwan, with Comments on the Herpetofauna of Lanyu Island. Bull. Coll. Sci., Univ. Ryukyus, No. 51: 11-18
  • Klemmer,K. 1963. Liste der rezenten Giftschlangen. Elapidae, Hydropheidae [sic], Viperidae und Crotalidae. In: Die Giftschlangen der Erde. Behringwerk-Mitteilungen, spec. Suppl., Marburg.
  • Lenz, Norbert 2012. Von Schmetterlingen und Donnerdrachen - Natur und Kultur in Bhutan. Karlsruher Naturhefte 4, Naturkundemuseum Karlsruhe, 124 pp.
  • Leviton, A.E. 1964. The Nomenclatural Status of Trimeresurus stejnegeri makii Klemmer, Proposed as a Substitute Name for Trimeresurus gramineus formosensis Maki Herpetologica 20 (2): 138-139. - get paper here
  • 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
  • Lillywhite, Harvey B. 2014. How Snakes Work: Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes. Oxford University Press, New York, 256 pp
  • MALHOTRA, ANITA & ROGER S. THORPE 2004. Maximizing information in systematic revisions: a combined molecular and morphological analysis of a cryptic green pitviper complex (Trimeresurus stejnegeri). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 82 (2): 219 - get paper here
  • 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
  • McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp.
  • Mebert, K. 2020. Untersuchungen im Lebensraum der hochbedrohten Mangshan-Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis). Elaphe 2020 (4): 66-69
  • Monzel, Markus M 2012. Gifte, Gifttiere, Menschen – eine Geschichte voller (Miss)Verständnisse. Draco 13 (51): 4-25 - get paper here
  • Murphy, William C. and Cowan F. Belanger. 2014. Trimeresurus stejnegeri (Stejneger's green pitviper) diet. Herpetological Review 45 (4): 715 - get paper here
  • Nguyen, S.V., Ho, C.T. and Nguyen, T.Q. 2009. Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 768 pp.
  • Parkinson,C.L. 1999. Molecular systematics and biogeographical history of pitvipers as determined by mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences. Copeia 1999 (3): 576-586 - get paper here
  • Peng, G. & Fuji, Z. 2001. Comparative studies on hemipenes of four species of Trimeresurus (sensu stricto) (Serpentes: Crotalinae). Amphibia-Reptilia 22 (1): 113-117 - 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
  • Pope, CLIFFORD H. 1935. The Reptiles of China. Turtes, Crocodilians, Snakes, Lizards. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, Nat. Hist. Central Asia, 10: lii, 1-604 - get paper here
  • Rathee, Y. S., Purkayastha, J., Lalremsanga, H. T., Dalal, S., Biakzuala, L., Muansanga, L., & Mirza, Z. A. 2022. A new cryptic species of green pit viper of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Serpentes, Viperidae) from northeast India. PloS one, 17(5), e0268402 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, KARL P. 1925. New reptiles and a new salamander from China. American Museum Novitates (157): 1-5. - get paper here
  • Sharma, R. C. 2004. Handbook Indian Snakes. AKHIL BOOKS, New Delhi, 292 pp.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • Toriba, M. 1993. Present location of the type specimens described by Maki. The Snake 25: 71-72
  • Tsai, T.-S. & M.-C. Tu 2001. Reproductive Cycle of Female Chinese Green Tree Vipers, Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri, in Northern Taiwan Herpetologica 57 (2): 157-168. - get paper here
  • Tu, M.-C. et al. 2000. Phylogeny, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of the Oriental Pitvipers of the Genus Trimeresurus (Reptilia: Viperidae: Crotalinae): A Molecular Perspective. Zoological Science 17: 1147–1157 - 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 K, Lyu ZT, Wang J, Qi S, Che J 2022. Updated Checklist and Zoogeographic Division of the Reptilian Fauna of Yunnan Province, China. Biodiversity Science 30 (4): 21326, 1–31 - get paper here
  • Wang, C. G. M. Z. X., Jia, S. Y. K. T. L., & Hu, C. Z. J. 2022. An updated species checklist of amphibians and reptiles in Fujian Province, China. Biodiversity Science, 22090 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Winchell, S. 2003. The wide world of snakes in China. Reptilia (GB) (31): 12-21 - get paper here
  • Winchell, S. 2003. Die vielfältige Welt chinesischer Schlangen. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (44): 20-29 - get paper here
  • YANG, CHUN-KAI & AKIRA MORI. 2021. The Green Bamboo Pit Viper, Trimeresurus stejnegeri, Discriminates Chemical Stimuli Among Anuran Species. Current Herpetology 40(2): 159–168. - get paper here
  • Zhang, Y.; Lee, W.H.; Xiong, Y.L. & Wang, W.Y. 2000. Immuno-chemical Study of TSV-PA, a Specific Plasminogen Activator from the Venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri. Asiatic Herpetological Research 8: 107-110 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Zhao,E. & Adler,K. 1993. Herpetology of China. SSAR, Oxford/Ohio, 1-522
  • Ziegler, T. 2002. Die Amphibien und Reptilien eines Tieflandfeuchtwald-Schutzgebietes in Vietnam. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 342 pp. - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator