Animal: Atropoides picadoi, Picado's pitviper
formerly genus Bothrops or Porthidium
Species
- Atropoides picadoi
The former species Atropoides indomitus, A. mexicanus, A. nummifer, A. oicciduus and A. olmec are now considewred to belong to the newly created genus Metlapilocoatlus (Campbell et al., 2019). The taxonomic status of the only remaining species in this genus, A. picadoi, is still uncertain.
Taxonomy
Common names
- Picado's jumping pitviper
Distribution
See link "Distribution" at the top of the page for detailed informations.
Costa Rica and Panama.
Atropoides picadoi
Biology
Ground dwelling, usually lives in mesic habitats ranging from rainforest to cloud forest, found between 300m and nearly 2000 m above sea level, but also encountered in grass lands.
Large head with broadly rounded snout, may reach a length up to 125 cm.
Basic colouring most often grey-brown or reddish-brown. Dark post-ocular stripe, zigzag pattern along the dorsal part of the body, smaller lateral blotches.
Juveniles have a yellow tail tip (lure).
Risk
These snakes usually retain their grip after striking and sometimes inject more venom by a chewing action.
A. picadoi is considered potentially dangerous, but bites seem to be rare.
Literature (biological)
Campbell and Lamar 2004, Campbell et al. 2019