Ophryacus
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| Genus: | Ophryacus |
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- Common names: Mexican horned pitvipers.[2]
Ophryacus is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Mexico. The name is derived from the Greek words ophrys and the suffix -acutus, which means "brow" and "belonging to"; an allusion to the characteristic hornlike scales over the eyes.[2] Currently two species are recognized and no subspecies.[3]
Description
The largest of the two species, O. undulatus, grows to between 55 and 70 cm in length. They are characterized by the presence of a single scale over they eye that takes the shape of either a long and relatively slender spine, or a flattened horn. Often, other supraocular scales are also shaped in such a way that they project slightly.[2]
Geographic range
Restricted to the mountains of central and southern Mexico.[1]
Species
| Species[3] | Authority[3] | Common name[2] | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| O. melanurus | (Müller, 1924) | Black-tailed horned pitviper | The mountains of southern Mexico (southern Puebla and Oaxaca at elevations of 1600-2400 m. |
| O. undulatusT | (Jan, 1859) | Mexican horned pitviper | The mountains of central and southern Mexico (Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Guerrero) west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at evelevations of 1800-2800 m. |
T) Type species.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b c d Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ a b c "Ophryacus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 4 November.
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Further reading
- O'Shea, M. 2005. Venomous Snakes of the World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12436-1.
External links
- Ophryacus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.