Garthius

Garthius chaseni, commonly known as Chasen's mountain pit viper,[4] Chasen's tree viper,[5] and the Kinabalu brown pit viper,[6] is a species of venomous pitviper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the island of Borneo in Malaysia.[1][3] No subspecies are currently recognized.[3][7] It is monotypic in the genus Garthius.

Garthius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Garthius
Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004
Species:
G. chaseni
Binomial name
Garthius chaseni
(M.A. Smith, 1931)
Synonyms

Etymology

The generic name, Garthius, is in honor of British herpetologist Garth Underwood.[8]

The specific name, chaseni, is in honor of Frederick Nutter Chasen, who in 1931 was Curator of the Raffles Museum, Singapore.[8]

Description

G. chaseni is heavy-bodied, and may attain 65 cm (25+1⁄2 in) SVL (snout–vent length). Dorsally, it has a dark tan or reddish brown ground color, overlaid by dark brown crossbands, which are broken and alternating on the front part of the body, becoming regular on the posterior part. Ventrally, it is yellow and gray. It has two rows of small scales between the upper labials and the eye.[6]

Scalation includes: 19, 17, or 15 rows of dorsal scales at midbody; 130–143 ventral scales; 20–30 paired subcaudal scales; and 6 supralabial scales with the third being the highest.[4]

Geographic range

G. chaseni is only found on the island of Borneo, in northern Sabah (Malaysia) in the region of Mount Kinabalu.[1] The type locality given is "Kiau" (at the foot of Mt. Kinabalu, northern Borneo, ca. 915 m [3,000 feet]).[2][3] The known range is within the Crocker Range and Kinabalu National Parks.[1]

Habitat

G. chaseni is found in submontane forests, living in leaf litter on the forest floor at elevations between 915 and 1,550 m (3,002 and 5,085 ft) above sea level.[6]

Behavior

G. chaseni is terrestrial and mainly nocturnal.[1]

Reproduction

G. chaseni is viviparous.[3]

References
  1. Das, I. (2012). "Garthius chaseni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T190646A1956273. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T190646A1956273.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. Garthius chaseni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 September 2017.
  4. Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S (2004). Asian Pitvipers. First Edition. Berlin: GeitjeBooks. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
  5. Brown, John Haynes (1973). Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. ISBN 0-398-02808-7.
  6. Das, Indraneil (2006). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Borneo. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-061-1. (Garthius chaseni, p. 54).
  7. "Ovophis chaseni ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  8. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Garthius chaseni, p. 52; Pit-viper genus Garthius, p. 98).

Further reading
  • Malhotra A, Thorpe RS (2004). "A phylogeny of four mitochondrial gene regions suggests a revised taxonomy for Asian pitvipers (Trimeresurus and Ovophis)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32 (1): 83-100. (Garthius, new genus).
  • Malkmus R, Manthey U, Vogel G, Hoffmann P, Kosuch J (2002). Amphibians & Reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo). Rugell, Liechtenstein: A.R.G. Gantner Verlag. 424 pp. ISBN 978-3904144834.
  • Smith MA (1931). "The Herpetology of Mt. Kinabalu, North Borneo". Bulletin of the Raffles Museum, Singapore 5: 8-32. (Trimeresurus chaseni, new species, p. 29).
  • Stuebing, Robert B.; Inger, Robert F.; Lardner, Björn (2014). A Field Guide to the Snakes of Borneo, Second Edition. Borneo: Natural History Publications. 310 pp. ISBN 978-9838121514.


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