Bothriechis nubestris
| Bothriechis nubestris | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Bothriechis |
| Species: | B. nubestris
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| Binomial name | |
| Bothriechis nubestris Doan, Mason, Castoe, Sasa & Parkinson, 2016
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Bothriechis nubestris, the Talamancan palm-pitviper, is a species of pit viper native to cloud forests and montane rainforests in Costa Rica, specifically San José, Cartago and Limón.[1][2][3] The snake was mistaken for Bothriechis nigroviridis.[4]
Description
[edit]The snake is a small-medium size, slender snake. It lives in trees and has a green-black coloration. The snake grows up to 30 inches, but many grow less than 24 inches.[5] It is only discovered in Costa Rica. The snake kills with a toxin which is likely to be nigroviriditoxin. The toxin itself was discovered in 2015, and B. nubestris would be the first new-world viperid outside of rattle snakes to produce it.[3]
The snake lacks supercillary scales, differing the species from both B. schlegelii and B. supraciliaris. B. nubestris also differs from most other Bothriechis species with its colouring - only similar in that respect to B. nigroviridis, which it differs to in its scale numbers and shapes (specifically, B. nubestris has thin 'kidney-shaped' supraoculars.)[3]
Discovery
[edit]The snake was first spotted by the University of Central Florida in 2001, but was mistaken for another species. It was discovered by DNA tests and named recently.
Etymology
[edit]'nubestris' means 'belonging to the clouds' as it is a combination of the latin noun nubes (meaning 'cloud') and the latin suffix '-estris' (meaning 'belonging to'). This is in reference to the cloud forests it generally lives near.[2]
Reproduction
[edit]B. nubestris reproduce sexually and are ovoviviparous.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Talamancan Palm-Pitviper: Cryptic New Species of Venomous Snake Identified in Costa Rica | Biology". Sci-News.com. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
- ^ a b c "Bothriechis nubestris". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ a b c Doan, Tiffany M.; Mason, Andrew J.; Castoe, Todd a.; Sasa, Mahmood; Parkinson, Christopher L. (2016-07-15). "A cryptic palm-pitviper species (Squamata: Viperidae: Bothriechis) from the Costa Rican highlands, with notes on the variation within B. nigroviridis". Zootaxa. 4138 (2). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4138.2.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ "New Speckled Venomous Snake Discovered in Cloud Forest". Live Science. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
- ^ "Talamancan Palm-Pit Viper: A New Species of Costa Rican Venomous Snake". reptilesmagazine.com. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
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