Lachesis melanocephala
Lachesis melanocephala is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to Costa Rica and Panama. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.[3][4]
| Lachesis melanocephala | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Lachesis |
| Species: | L. melanocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Lachesis melanocephala | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Common names
Common names for L. melanocephala include black-headed bushmaster, [5] as well as cascabel muda ("silent rattlesnake") and matabuey in Spanish.
Description
Adults of L. melanocephala frequently grow to 1.9–2 m (6.2–6.6 ft) in total length (including tail). The largest reported specimens were 2.3 m (7.5 ft) by Solórzano (2004), and 2.4 m (7.9 ft) by Ripa (2001).
The top of the head is uniform black in color,[5] to which the specific name, melanocephala, and common name refer.
Geographic range
L. melanocephala is found in Costa Rica on the Pacific versant of southeastern Puntarenas province from near sea level to about 1500 m (about 4,900 feet). It is also found in Finca Hartmann in Panama's Chiriqui Province. The type locality given is "tropical rainforest 9 km northern of Ciudad Neily in southeastern Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica."[2]
Campbell and Lamar (2004) describe its range as southwestern Costa Rica and possibly extreme western Panama, but state that almost all locality records are from Puntarenas province.[5][6] Savage (2002) and Dwyer & Perez (2009) confirmed its existence in Panama.[1]
Diet
L. melanocephala preys predominately upon small rodents, especially spiny rats.[1]
References
- Solórzano, A., Porras, L.W., Chaves, G., Acosta Chaves, V. & Dwyer, Q. (2021). "Lachesis melanocephala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T203668A2769585. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- Lachesis melanocephala at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 March 2015.
- "Lachesis melanocephala". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
- Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp., 1,500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- Fernandez, Ileana (2022-09-01). "Rare "Plato Negro" Snake Species Rescued in Costa Rica". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
Further reading
- Savage JM (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. xx + 945 pp. ISBN 0-226-73537-0.
- Solórzano, Alejandro; Cerdas, Luis (1986). "A New Subspecies of the Bushmaster, Lachesis muta, from Southeastern Costa Rica". Journal of Herpetology 20 (3): 463–466. (Lachesis muta melanocephala, new subspecies).