Trimeresurus venustus
| Trimeresurus venustus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Trimeresurus |
| Species: | T. venustus |
| Binomial name | |
| Trimeresurus venustus Vogel, 1991 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cryptelytrops venustus | |
Trimeresurus venustus is a venomous pit viper species endemic to southern Thailand.[1] Its common names include beautiful pit viper and brown-spotted pit viper.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]This species was considered a synonym of Trimeresurus kanburiensis until around the turn of the century.[2] It was described by Gernot Vögel in 1991.[3] It is in the subgenus Trimeresurus.[4]
Etymology
[edit]Derived from Latin, the name venustus means beautiful, and refers to the striking, intricate color scheme.[1]
Description
[edit]This species has a slender body and is approximately 580 mm (23 in) in length.[5] They have a triangular-shaped head, like all pit vipers.[6] Their labials are green with brown patches and a dark postorbital stripe is present.[5]
Their distinctive coloration ranges from vibrant green to olive green with brown or reddish-orange bands along the length of the body.[7] In males, the dorsal area is an olive or bluish-green color, while females have a grass-green dorsal area.[5] Their short snout is slightly flattened with a small ridge, and they have heat-sensing pits in-between their nostrils.[8] Their irises are a light orange with brown specks.[5] The dorsal scales are strongly keeled and have a count of 21 – 21 – 15.[9]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]T. venustus is native to southern Thailand and is also found in northern peninsular Malaysia.[1][5] Being mainly arboreal,[7] they can be found up to 700 m (2,300 ft) in elevation inhabiting limestone hills, shaded, humid valleys, rubber tree plantations, and both primary and secondary rainforests.[5][6]
Biology
[edit]Feeding
[edit]Using heat-sensing pits, these pitvipers hunt mice, frogs, and lizards.[9]
Reproduction
[edit]T. venustus is ovoviviparous.[1]
Venom
[edit]A bite resulted in swelling and a discoloration of the skin. Local symptoms were displayed, such as coagulopathy.[7] Their venom has a moderate level of toxicity, and all bites should be treated as potentially dangerous. Green pit viper antivenom is used as treatment.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Trimeresurus venustus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 2 February 2017.
- ↑ Uetz, Peter. "Trimeresurus venustus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Vogel, G. (1991). "Eine neue Trimeresurus-Art aus Thailand, Trimeresurus venustus sp. nov.(Reptilia: Serpentes: Crotalidae)" (PDF). Sauria. 13: 23–28.
- ↑ Mirza, Zeeshan A.; Lalremsanga, H. T.; Bhosale, Harshal; Gowande, Gaurang; Patel, Harshil; Idiatullina, Sabira S.; Poyarkov, Nikolay A. (2023-02-24). "Systematics of Trimeresurus popeiorum Smith, 1937 with a revised molecular phylogeny of Asian pitvipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 sensu lato". Evolutionary Systematics. 7 (1): 91–104. doi:10.3897/evolsyst.7.97026. ISSN 2535-0730.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Indraneil, Das (2010). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-East Asia. London: New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4729-2059-1.
- 1 2 3 Mark (2025-03-09). "Krabi's Brown-Spotted Pit Viper (Beautiful Pit Viper)". Krabi Nature - Wildlife Field Trips, Tours, and Photography. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
- 1 2 3 Fuchs, Joan; Bessire, Karin; Weiler, Stefan (2019-05-01). "A confirmed bite by a Beautiful Pit Viper (Trimeresurus venustus) resulting in local symptoms". Toxicon. 163: 44–47. Bibcode:2019Txcn..163...44F. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.03.019. ISSN 0041-0101. PMID 30902684.
- ↑ "Trimeresurus venustus". PierreWildlife. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- 1 2 "Brown-Spotted Green Pit Viper | Thailand Snakes". Thailand Snakes, Snakebite, Herping, Tours, Snake Traps. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
.png){kind=small} | This snake article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |