VAPAGuide - Biomedical database - Terrestrial snakes, Pit vipers

Genus/Species

Bothrops spp., Lance heads

Clinical entries

Bothrops asper

Bothrops atrox

Bothrops jararaca (Bothrops jararacussu)

Bothrops moojeni

various Bothrops sp.

Species

1. Bothrops alcatraz
2. Bothrops alternatus
3. Bothrops ammodytoides
4. Bothrops andianus
5. Bothrops asper
6. Bothrops atrox
7. Bothrops ayerbei
8. Bothrops barnetti
9. Bothrops brazili
10. Bothrops caribbaeus
11. Bothrops cotiara
12. Bothrops diporus
13. Bothrops erythromelas
14. Bothrops fonsecai
15. Bothrops germanoi
16. Bothrops insularis
17. Bothrops itapetiningae
18. Bothrops jabrensis
19. Bothrops jararaca
20. Bothrops jararacussu
21. Bothrops jonathani
22. Bothrops lanceolatus
23. Bothrops leucurus
24. Bothrops lojanus
25. Bothrops lutzi
26. Bothrops marajoensis
27. Bothrops marmoratus
28. Bothrops matogrossensis
29. Bothrops monsignifer
30. Bothrops moojeni
31. Bothrops muriciensis
32. Bothrops neuwiedi
33. Bothrops oligobalius
34. Bothrops osbornei
35. Bothrops otavioi
36. Bothrops pauloensis
37. Bothrops pictus
38. Bothrops pirajai
39. Bothrops pubescens
40. Bothrops punctatus
41. Bothrops rhombeatus
42. Bothrops roedingeri
43. Bothrops sanctaecrucis
44. Bothrops sazimai
45. Bothrops sonene
46. Bothrops venezuelensis

Fenwick et al. (2009) review the classification of the genus Bothrops and associated genera. Based on their analyses, they recognise five genera: Bothrocophias, Bothriopsis, Rhinocerophis (new) for the alternatus group (alternatus, ammodytoides, cotiara, fonsecai, itapetiningae, jonathani), the new genus Bothropoides for the jararacaand neuwiedi groups (alcatraz, diporus, erythromelas, insularis, jararaca, lutzi, marmoratus, mattogrossensis, neuwiedi, pauloensis, pubescens), and the genus Bothrops for the remaining species of the jararacussu, punctatus and atrox groups. Several species have affinities that are insufficiently resolved to allow placement in a particular genus: barnetti, pictus, roedingeriand lojanus.

-Bothrops andianus is redescribed as Bothrocophias andianus by Carrasco et al. (2012)

-Bothrops rhombeatus is also described as Bothrocophias colombianus (Campbell and Lamar 2004)

Taxonomy

Serpentes; Viperidae; Crotalinae

Common names

Lance heads, Fer de lance, Lanzenottern

1. Alcatrazes lancehead
2. Urutu
3. Patagonian lancehead
4. Andean lancehead
5. Terciopelo
6. Common lancehead
7. Patian lancehead, Ayerbe's lancehead, Cacica, Eqis patiana
8. Barnett's lancehead
9. Brazil's lancehead
10. Saint Lucia lancehead
11. Cotiara
12. Chaco lancehead
13. Caatinga lancehead
14. Fonseca's lancehead
15. Moela's lancehead
16. Golden lancehead
17. Sao Paulo lancehead
18. Jabre's lancehead
19. Jararaca
20. Jararacussu
21. Cochabamba lancehead
22. Martinique lancehead
23. Bahia lancehead
24. Lojan lancehead
25. Cerrado lancehead
26. Marajo lancehead
27. Marbled lancehead
28. Matogrosso lancehead
30. Brazilian lancehead
31. Murici lancehead
32. Neuwied's lancehead
34. Osborne's lancehead
36. Black-faced lancehead
37. Desert lancehead
38. Piraja's lancehead
39. Pampas lancehead
40. Chocoan lancehead
41. Cat lancehead, Cauca valley yellow lancehead, Eqis gata, Eqia amarilla del Valle del Cauca
42. Roedinger's lancehead
43. Bolivian lancehead
44. Franceses Iland lancehead
46. Venezuelan lancehead

Fig. 4.71 Bothrops asper

Distribution

Main distribution area South America. B. asper is the only Bothrops species in Central America and Mexico. See link "Distribution" at the top of the page for detailed information.

Map 46 Bothrops spp.

Biology

Ground-dwelling snakes that are also capable of climbing. Mostly strong, long body with an elongated, tapering head that is distinct from the body, similar to the tip of a lance (thus the name "Lance heads"). Several smaller species under 1 m but also larger species of 1–2 m (B. alternatus, B. brazili, B. carribaeus, B. cotiara, B. jararaca, B. marajoensis, B. moojeni, B. venezuelensis) or more (B. asper, B. atrox, B. jararacussu, B. lanceolatus).

Many of the larger species are very difficult for lay persons to tell apart. Basic colouring in shades of grey or brown with small shapes that lose their form or larger shapes consisting of triangular, trapezoidal or semicircular markings along both sides of the spine. In B. alternatus these markings have a distinctive shape that resembles a telephone receiver.

Generally nocturnal. Habitats range from arid regions in the lowlands to cloud forests at 2,500 m above sea level, some species (e.g. B. andianus) even up to an altitude of over 3,000 m.

Often synanthropic. In particular those species that frequently cause serious accidents are found in agricultural areas, e.g. B. alternatus (especially in sugar cane plantations), B. asper, B. atrox or B. jararaca. B. atrox is also found close to human settlements and in green areas in cities.

Generally irritable and quick to strike. When threatened they dart towards the cause of the disturbance, so that sometimes their whole body is lifted off the ground.

Risk

Between 80 and 90% of cases of snake envenoming in Latin America are caused by Lance heads (Clark 1942, Jutzy et al. 1953, Sass 1979, Cardoso 1990, Ribeiro 1990b).

The most dangerous species, which are responsible for many bites and which are known to regularly cause deaths, are B. asper in Central America, B. atrox, B. jararaca and B. jararacussu, and to a lesser extent also B. alternatus, B. moojeni, B. neuwiedi and B. erythromelas in South America.

Although the percentage mortality due to the South American Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) is higher, Lance heads claim the most lives on the American continent as a whole. They are the cause of high morbidity, more than all other New World venomous snakes.

According to a study of the first half of this century for Central and South America, of a total of 6,601 recorded cases of snakebite envenoming, 4,902 cases were attributed to various Bothrops species; of these, 3,446 cases were attributed to the species B. jararaca (Rosenfeld 1971).

For the year 1989, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recorded a total of 20,748 snakebites, of which around 67% were attributed to the Bothrops genus (Cardoso 1990). Other data from Brazil record 20,884 snakebites over a period of one and a half years (1986–87), of which around 88% were caused by Bothrops sp., with a mortality of 0.5%. Most accidents occur during the day in rural areas with basic agriculture (Ribeiro 1990b). In this context, the most significant species are B. atrox in the Amazon region, B. moojeni in the central west, B. erythromelas in the northwest and B. jararaca in southeast Brazil (Cardoso 1990).

The great majority of cases of envenoming in southern Colombia are due to B. atrox (Haad 1980/81).

In a clinical study from Ecuador, around 60% of verified bites were due to Bothrops sp. (Kerrigan 1991).

The only species from Central America, B. asper, is responsible in many regions for the greatest number of and most dangerous accidents due to venomous snakes. In the Canal Zone of Panama, around 90% of significant bites are caused by this species (Sass 1979). In neighbouring Costa Rica, the most common victims are generally younger plantation workers (Minton 1980).

Literature (biological)

Barbo et al. 2012, 2016, 2022a, 2022b, Bolanos 1984, Campbell and Lamar 1989, 2004, Carrasco et al. 2019, Chippaux 1986, Dal Vechio et al. 2020, Da Silva and Rodrigues 2008, Folleco-Fernandez 2010, Lancini 1986, Pérez-Santos and Moreno 1988, Schätti and Kramer 1993, Timms et al. 2019, Villa 1984, Wallach et al. 2014

The Reptile Database