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Crotalus morulus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crotalus morulus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Crotalus
Species:
C. morulus
Binomial name
Crotalus morulus
Klauber, 1952
Synonyms[1]
  • Crotalus lepidus subsp. morulus Klauber, 1952

Crotalus morulus, or the Tamaulipan rock rattlesnake, is a species of rattlesnake from Mexico, closely related to and previously considered a subspecies of Crotalus lepidus.[2][3] The name morulus comes from the Latin word morus for mulberry in reference to their mottled patterns. As with all rattlesnakes, it is venomous.[4]

Description

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As juveniles, Crotalus morulus has a dark pattern with black blotches dorsally on a grey base, the dark colours blending between the patterns. Adults are also grey with dark-brown blotches.[4] They are distinguished from Crotalus lepidus by this dark colouration and higher number of blotches.[3]

Their rattle is also known to be fluorescent, although more dull in adults than neonates.[5]

Reproduction

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Crotalus morulus is known to be ovoviviparous.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Crotalus morulus". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  2. ^ Blair, Christopher; Bryson Jr, Robert W.; Linkem, Charles W.; Lazcano, David; Klicka, John; McCormack, John E. (2019). "Cryptic diversity in the Mexican highlands: Thousands of UCE loci help illuminate phylogenetic relationships, species limits and divergence times of montane rattlesnakes (Viperidae: Crotalus)". Molecular Ecology Resources. 19 (2): 349–365. doi:10.1111/1755-0998.12970. ISSN 1755-0998.
  3. ^ a b Klauber, Laurence Monroe; Klauber, Laurence Monroe (1952). Taxonomic studies of the rattlesnakes of mainland Mexico. Vol. 26. San Diego, Calif: Zoological Society of San Diego.
  4. ^ a b c "Crotalus morulus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  5. ^ "(PDF) Glow and Behold: Biofluorescence and New Insights on the Tails of Pitvipers (Viperidae: Crotalinae) and Other Snakes". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2025-01-01.