Bothrops jonathani
| Bothrops jonathani | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Bothrops |
| Species: | B. jonathani
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| Binomial name | |
| Bothrops jonathani Harvey, 1994
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Bothrops jonathani, Jonathan's lancehead, is a species of snake belonging to the family Viperidae, the vipers. This species is found in southern South America.
Taxonomy
[edit]Bothrops jonanthani was first formally described in 1994 by the American herpetologist Michael Brown Harvey with its type locality given as roughly 35km north of El Empalme on Highway 4 in Carrasco Province, Cochabamba Department, form an elevation of around 2,800 m (9,200 ft) at 7° 45'S, 65°00'W, Bolivia.[3] This species is classified in the genus Bothrops which is classified within the subfamily Crotalinae, the pit-vipers within the viper family Viperidae.[2]
Etymology
[edit]Bothrops jonathani is classified within the genus Bothrops, a name which is derived from the Greek bothros, which means "pit", a reference to the heat-sensing pits located between the eyes and the nostrils of these snakes.[4] The specific name honours Jonathan A. Campbell, the American herpetologist, for his contribution to the study of Neotropical pitvipers.[3]
Description
[edit]Bothrops jonathani has a maximum know svl of 800 mm (31 in).[5] It has a complex facial pattern which is made up of a wide, black edged, dark brown bands with white and tan stripes between them. The ventral scales have a white ground colour patterned with grey becoming greyer towards the grey undertail. The dorsal pattern has a tan ground colour with large cream blotches on the back and smaller brown blotches on the sides, these blotches vary in shape and between individuals.[3][5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Bothrops jonathani is found at altitudes between 1,600 and 3,500 m (5,200 and 11,500 ft) along the eastern edge of the Altiplano in the Bolivian departments of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Tarija and probably Chuquisaca and in the Argentine provinces of Jujuy and Salta. It is found among tall grass, shrubs and cacti, typically on steep rocky slopes.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Aguayo, R.; Aparicio, J.; Arzamendia, V.; et al. (2019). "Bothrops jonathani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T15203950A15203958. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T15203950A15203958.en. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ a b Species Bothrops jonathani at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c Harvey, M B (1994). "A New Species Of Montane Pitviper (Serpentes, Viperidae, Bothrops) From Cochabamba, Bolivia". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 107. Biological Society of Washington: 60--66.
- ^ "Common Lancehead". Reptiles of Ecuador. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ a b Carrasco, Paola; Harvey, Michael & Munoz, Arturo (2009). "The rare Andean pitviper Rhinocerophis jonathani (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae): redescription with comments on its systematics and biogeography". Zootaxa. 2283: 1–15. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2283.1.1.
Further reading
[edit]- Carrasco PA, Mattoni CI, Leynaud GC, Scrocchi GJ (2012). "Morphology, phylogeny and taxonomy of South American bothropoid pitvipers (Serpentes, Viperidae)". Zoologica Scripta 41: 109–124.
- Fenwick AM, Gutberlet RL Jr, Evans JA, Parkinson CL (2009). "Morphological and molecular evidence for phylogeny and classification of South American pitvipers, genera Bothrops, Bothriopsis, and Bothrocophias (Serpentes: Viperidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 156 (3): 617–640. (Bothrocophias jonathani, new combination).
- Harvey, Michael B. (1994). "A new species of montane pitviper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Bothrops) from Cochabamba, Bolivia". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 107 (1): 60–66. (Bothrops jonathani, new species).
- Harvey, Michael B.; Aparicio E., James; Gonzales A., Lucindo (2005). "Revision of the venomous snakes of Bolivia. II. The pitvipers (Serpentes: Viperidae)". Annals of Carnegie Museum 74 (1): 1–37.
- Jansen M (2008). "Die Lanzenottern der Gattung Bothrops in Bolivien [= The lance vipers of the genus Bothrops in Bolivia]". Draco 8 (33): 50–56. (in German).