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  5. Biological entry: Bothriechis spp.

Animal: Bothriechis spp., Palm pitvipers

Formerly genus Bothrops.

In their sytematic revision of the Eylash palm pitviper (Botriechis schlegelii), Artega et al. (2024) describe 5 new species: B. hussaini, B. khwargi, B. klebbai, B. rahimi and B. rasikusumorum. In addition these authors revalidate the names/species B. nigroadspersus, B. nitidus and B. torvus (all formerly B. schlegelii). The name B. schlegelii is now restricted to the species living in the central highlands of Colombia.

Species

  1. Bothriechis aurifer
  2. Bothriechis bicolor
  3. Bothriechis guifarroi
  4. Bothriechis hussaini
  5. Bothriechis khwargi
  6. Bothriechis klebbai
  7. Bothriechis lateralis
  8. Bothriechis marchi
  9. Bothriechis nigroadspersus
  10. Bothriechis nigroviridis
  11. Bothriechis nitidus
  12. Bothriechis nubestris
  13. Bothriechis rahimi
  14. Bothriechis rasikusumorum
  15. Bothriechis rowleyi
  16. Bothriechis schlegelii
  17. Bothriechis supraciliaris
  18. Bothriechis thalassinus
  19. Bothriechis torvus

Bothriechis schlegelii

Taxonomy

Serpentes; Viperidae; Crotalinae

Common names

Palm pitvipers

  1. Yellow-blotched palm pitviper
  2. Guatemalan palm pitviper
  3. Hussain's eyelash pitviper
  4. Khwarg's eyelash pitviper
  5. Klebba's eyelash pitviper
  6. Side-striped palm pitviper
  7. March's palm pitviper
  8. Central American eyelash pitviper
  9. Black-speckled palm pitviper
  10. Ecuadorian eyelash pitviper
  11. Talamancan palm pitviper
  12. Rahim's eyelash pitviper
  13. Shah's eyelash pitviper
  14. Rowley's palm pitviper
  15. Highland eyelash pitviper, Schlegel’s eyelash pitviper
  16. Blotched palm pitviper, Blotched eyelash pitviper
  17. Merendon palm pitviper
  18. Birri eyelash pitviper

Distribution

See link "Distribution" at the top of the page for detailed information.

Southern Mexico to the far Northwest of South America. 


Bothriechis spp.

Biology

Mostly arboreal species with prehensile tails and nucturnal activity. B. supraciliaris spends more time on the ground than other Bothriechis species. Relatively slender body with triangular headmarkedly distinct from the body. Overall appearance closely resembles that of Bothriopsis spp. and Trimeresurus spp. Length 1 m or less. 

Body colouring mostly shades of grey, often with markings, also yellow individuals among the B. schlegelii (sensu lato) group. In most species of the B. schlegelii group, the scales over the eyes are drawn out into pointed protuberances that resemble eyelashes.

Habitat in mountainous wooded areas, predominantly found in palms, trees and shrub-like vegetation:

B. schlegelii also in planted forests, coffee plantations and in urban/rural gardens, up to nearly 2600 m above sea level.

B. nigroadsoersus in evergreen lowland/foothill forests, plantations and rural gardens. On trees and shrubby vegetation up to 35 m above the ground.

B. supraciliaris in evergreen lower montane forests, coffee and banana plantations, farms and rural gardens.

B. torvus in evergreen lowland/foothill forests.

B. khwargi in evergreen foothill forests.

B. klebbai in montane cloud forests.

B. rasikusumorum in montane cloud forests and coffee plantations.

B. rahimi in evergreen lowland forests.

B. nitidus in evergreen lowland and montane forests, cloud forests, planted forests. In plantations (coffee, cacao and banana) and rural gardens.

B. hussaini in evergreen lowland/foothill forests and in plantations (coffee and banana).

Risk

Isolated fatalities due to B. aurifer, B. marchi, B. nigroviridis and B. schlegelii (sensu lato) have been reported, but severe systemic envenoming is rare. Morbidity generally lower than with Bothrops spp., but the venom of B. nigroadspersus is discribed as acting hemotoxic and strongly myonecrotic (Guiterrez and Chavez 1980). In Costa Rica and Panama, B. nigroadspersus (B. schlegelii sensu lato) is the principal cause of Bothriechis bites (Jutzy et al. 1953, Minton 1980, Sass 1979) and this species is estimated to cause between 90-100 bites in a typical year in Costa Rica (Savage 2002). Most accidents caused by B. schlegelii in Colombia involve coffee plantation workers, bitten in their hands or faces during harvesting work (Sevilla-Sanchez et al. 2021). In a series of 1653 snake envenomings in Cauca province/Colombia between 2009 and 2018 8,4 % are attributed to B. schlegelii (Sevilla-Sanchez et al. 2021).

Literature (biological)

Artega et al. 2024, Bolanos 1982, 1984, Campbell and Lamar 1989, 2004, Doan et al. 2016, Townsend et al. 2013

The Reptile Database

RepFocus