Ophryacus is a genus of venomous pit vipers endemic to Mexico. The name is derived from the Greek word ophrys (ὀφρύς), which means "brow", and the Latin word acus, which means "needle", an allusion to the characteristic horn-like scales over the eyes.[2] Currently, three species are recognized and no subspecies.[3]
| Ophryacus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Crotalinae |
| Genus: | Ophryacus Cope, 1887[1] |
- Common names: Mexican horned pitvipers.[2]
Description edit
The larger of the two species, O. undulatus, grows to between 55 and 70 cm (22 and 28 in) in length. They are characterized by the presence of a single scale over the eye that takes the shape of either a long and relatively slender spine, or a flattened horn. Often, other supraocular scales are also shaped in such a way that they project slightly.[2]
Geographic range edit
They are restricted to the mountains of eastern, central and southern Mexico.[1]
Species edit
| Species[3] | Taxon author[3] | Common name[2] | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| O. smaragdinus | Grünwald, Jones, Franz-Chávez & Ahumada-Carrillo, 2015 | Emerald Horned Pitviper | Eastern Mexico. |
| O. sphenophrys | (L. Müller, 1924) | Broad-horned Pitviper | The mountains of Oaxaca. |
| O. undulatusT | (Jan, 1859) | Slender-horned Pitviper | The mountains of central and southern Mexico (Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Guerrero) west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at elevations of 1800–2800 m (5,900–9200 feet). |
T) Type species.[1]
References edit
- ^ 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 d Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ a b c "Ophryacus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
Further reading edit
- Cope, E.D. 1887. Catalogue of Batrachians and Reptiles [Batrachia and Reptilia] of Central America and Mexico.
Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 32: 1-98. ("Ophryacus Cope, gen. nov.", p. 88.) - O'Shea, M. 2005. Venomous Snakes of the World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12436-1.
External links edit
- Ophryacus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.