Calloselasma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Calloselasma rhodostoma (Kuhl, 1824) |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Common names: Malayan pit viper.[2]
Calloselasma is a monotypic genus[3] created for a venomous pit viper species, C. rhodostoma, which is found in Southeast Asia from Thailand to northern Malaysia and on the island of Java.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Description
Attains an average length of 76 cm, with females being larger than males. Occasionally, they may grow as large as 91 cm.[2] This is the only Asian pit viper with large crown scales and smooth dorsal scales.[5]
[edit] Geographic range
Found in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, northern West Malaysia and on the Indonesian island of Java. The type locality is listed as "Java."[1]
[edit] Habitat
Prefers coastal forests, bamboo thickets, unused and overgrown farmland, as well as forests around plantations.[2]
[edit] Reproduction
This species is oviparous and the eggs are guarded by the female after deposition.[5]
[edit] Venom
This species has a reputation for being bad-tempered and quick to strike. In northern Malaysia it is responsible for some 700 incidents of snakebite annually with a mortality rate of about 2 percent. Remarkably sedentary, it has often been found in the same spot several hours after an accident.[5]
[edit] Cited 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 Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ Calloselasma (TSN 209552). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 3 November 2006.
- ^ Calloselasma rhodostoma (TSN 634882). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 3 November 2006.
- ^ a b c U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
[edit] External links
- Genus Calloselasma at the EMBL Reptile Database
- Calloselasma at Herpbreeder.com. Accessed 26 September 2006.
