Bothrops

Bothrops is a genus of highly venomous pit vipers endemic to the Neotropics.<ref name="McD99">McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. Template:ISBN (series). Template:ISBN (volume).</ref> The generic name, Bothrops, is derived from the Greek words {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Translit, meaning Template:Gloss, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Translit, meaning Template:Gloss or Template:Gloss, together an allusion to the heat-sensitive loreal pit organs. Members of this genus are responsible for more human deaths in the Americas than any other group of venomous snakes.<ref name="C&L04">Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. Template:ISBN.</ref> Currently, 48 species are recognized.<ref name="ITIS">{{#if:209554 | {{#invoke:template wrapper|wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon

 | url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=209554
 | title = Bothrops
 | publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System
 }}

| Template:Citation error }}</ref>

Description

These snakes range from small, never growing to more than Template:Convert, to large at over Template:Convert in total length. Most are characterized by having a sharp canthus rostralis and an unelevated snout.<ref name="C&L04"/>

The arrangement of the scales on top of the head is extremely variable; the number of interorbital scales may be 3–14. Usually there are 7–9 supralabials and 9–11 sublabials. There are 21–29 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 139–240 ventral scales, and 30–86 subcaudals, which are generally divided.<ref name="C&L04"/>

Common names

Lacépède originally applied the name "lanceheads"<ref name="C&L04"/> to all of these snakes, which he considered conspecific. Thus, older writings, as well as popular and sometimes scientific writings (including the American Heritage, Merriam-Webster, and New Shorter Oxford dictionaries), still often call them {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (French, "spearhead"). However, many scientists and hobbyists now restrict this name to the Martinican species, B. lanceolatus. Other common names include American lanceheads and American lance-headed vipers.<ref name="USN91">U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. Template:ISBN.</ref>

Geographic range

Bothrops species are found in northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) southward through Central and South America to Argentina. They also occur on the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique in the Lesser Antilles, as well as on Ilha da Queimada Grande off the coast of Brazil.<ref name="McD99"/> B. atrox is also found on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean off the eastern coast of Venezuela.

Behavior

File:Bothrops caribbaeus.jpg

Bothrops caribbaeus

Most species are nocturnal, although a few found at higher altitudes are active during the day. Otherwise, they may be seen on cloudy days or during periods of rain. Most are terrestrial, though all are capable of climbing. One species, B. insularis, which is endemic to Ilha da Queimada Grande, is considered to be semi arboreal. This species, unlike most Bothrops, preys primarily on birds, due to the absence of native mammal species on Queimada Grande. This feeding habit probably accounts for their more arboreal lifestyle compared with their mainland cousins.<ref name="C&L04"/> Many species of Bothrops exhibit tail vibration behavior when disturbed.<ref name=allf>Allf, Bradley C., Paul AP Durst, and David W. Pfennig. "Behavioral Plasticity and the Origins of Novelty: The Evolution of the Rattlesnake Rattle." The American Naturalist 188.4 (2016): 475-483</ref>

Venom

Members of this genus are responsible for more fatalities in the Americas than any other group of venomous snakes. In this regard, the most important species are B. asper, B. atrox, and B. jararaca. Without treatment, the fatality rate is estimated to be about 7%, but with treatment this is reduced to 0.5–3%.<ref name="C&L04"/>

File:Bothrops ammodytoides.jpg

Bothrops ammodytoides

Typical symptoms of bothropic envenomation include immediate burning pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, massive swelling of the bitten extremity, hemorrhagic blebs, local necrosis, bleeding from the nose and gums, ecchymosis, erythemia, hypotension, tachycardia, coagulopathy with hypofibrinogenemia and thrombocytopenia, hematemesis, melena, epistaxis, hematuria, intracerebral hemorrhage, and kidney failure, secondary to hypotension and bilateral cortical necrosis. There is usually some discoloration around the bite site, and rashes may develop on the torso or the extremities.<ref name="C&L04"/>

In general, death results from hypotension secondary to blood loss, kidney failure, and intracranial hemorrhage. Common complications include necrosis and kidney failure secondary to shock and the toxic effects of the venom.<ref name="C&L04"/>

Species

Image<ref name="ITIS"/>	Species<ref name="ITIS"/>	Subsp.*<ref name="ITIS"/>	Common name<ref name="C&L04"/>	Geographic range<ref name="McD99"/>
File:Bothrops alcatraz.jpg	B. alcatraz Template:Small	0	Alcatrazes lancehead	Alcatrazes Island, São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil.
File:Bothrops alternatus Instituto Butantã (3).jpg	B. alternatus Template:Small	0	Urutu, yarará, víbora de la cruz	Southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina (in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Córdoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Ríos, Formosa, La Pampa, Misiones, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.
File:Bothrops ammodytoides, the Patagonian Pit Viper (9070511689).jpg	B. ammodytoides Template:Small	0	Patagonian lancehead	Argentina in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Córdoba, Chubut, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuquén, Río Negro, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz and Tucumán
File:Bothrops asper (Panama) coiled.jpg	B. asper Template:Small	0	terciopelo (preferred), Fer-de-lance (commonly used, but incorrect)	Atlantic lowlands of eastern Mexico and Central America, including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, a disjunct population occurs in southeastern Chiapas (Mexico) and southwestern Guatemala, northern South America in Colombia and Ecuador West of the Andes, westernmost Venezuela, and Tumbes, Peru.<ref name="C&L04"/>
File:Fer-de-Lance (Bothrops atrox) (39388290454).jpg	B. atrox Template:Small	0	Common lancehead	Tropical lowlands of South America east of the Andes, including southeastern Colombia, southern and eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia and the northern half of Brazil
	B. ayerbei Template:Small	0	Patian lancehead, Ayerbe's lancehead	Cauca, Colombia
File:DSCN2208mod.jpg	B. barnetti Template:Small	0	Barnett's lancehead	Along the Pacific coast of northern Peru at low elevations in arid, tropical scrub
File:Cobra-papagaio - Bothrops bilineatus - Ilhéus - Bahia.jpg	B. bilineatus Template:Small	1	Two-striped forest-pitviper	Amazon region of South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. An isolated population is known from the Atlantic versant of southeastern Brazil.
File:Bothrops brazili.jpg	B. brazili Template:Small	0	Brazil's lancehead	Equatorial forests of eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, Brazil and northern Bolivia
File:Bothrops caribbaeus.jpg	B. caribbaeus Template:Small	0	Saint Lucia lancehead	St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles, apparently restricted to the low elevation periphery of all but the southern third and extreme northern tip of the island
File:Bothrops chloromelas.jpg	B. chloromelas Template:Small	0	Inca forest-pitviper	central Andes of Peru
File:Bothrops cotiara 339888586.jpg	B. cotiara Template:Small	0	Cotiara	Araucaria forests of southern Brazil in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, northeastern Argentina in Misiones Province
File:Bothrops neuwiedi diporus fer de lance 91.jpg	B. diporus Template:Small	0	Painted Lancehead	Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia
File:Gfp-caatinga-lance-headed-pitviper.jpg	B. erythromelas Template:Small	0	Caatinga lancehead	Northeastern Brazil in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, extreme eastern Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe
File:Descanso ao sol.jpg	B. fonsecai Template:Small	0	Fonseca's lancehead	Southeastern Brazil in the states of northeastern São Paulo, southern Rio de Jeneiro and extreme southern Minas Gerais
	B. germanoi Template:Small	0	Moela's lancehead	Ilha da Moela, Brazil
File:Golden lancehead viper.jpg	B. insularis Template:Small	0	Golden lancehead	Queimada Grande Island, São Paulo State, Brazil
File:Bothrops itapetiningaea.jpg	B. itapetiningae Template:Small	0	São Paulo lancehead	Southeastern Brazil in the states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, and on the Paraná Plateau
	B. jabrensis Template:Small	0	Jabre's lancehead	Paraíba, Brazil
File:Bothrops jararaca 02.jpg	B. jararaca Template:Small	0	Jararaca	Southern Brazil, northeastern Paraguay and northern Argentina (Misiones)
File:Jararacuçu (Bothrops jararacussu) por Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton (2).jpg	B. jararacussu Template:Small	0	Jararacussu	Eastern Brazil (from Bahia to Santa Catarina), Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia and northeastern Argentina (Misiones Province)
File:Bothrops Jonathani.JPG	B. jonathani Template:Small	0	Jonathan's lancehead, Cochabamba lancehead	The Altiplano of central Bolivia in the departments of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija, and in northwestern Argentina in the departments of Jujuy and Salta, occurring at elevations of 2000–3500 m in dry, rocky grassland
File:Trigonocephale.JPG	B. lanceolatusT Template:Small	0	Fer-de-lance, Martinique lancehead	Martinique, Lesser Antilles
File:Whitetail Lancehead 01.jpg	B. leucurus Template:Small	0	Whitetail lancehead, Bahia lancehead	Eastern Brazil along the Atlantic coast from northern Espírito Santo north to Alagoas and Ceará, occurs more inland in several parts of Bahia, uncertain identity of disjunct populations west of the Rio São Francisco
	B. lutzi Template:Small	0	Cerrado lancehead	Northeastern Brazil in northern Piaui state
	B. marajoensis Template:Small	0	Marajó lancehead	Northern Brazil in the coastal lowlands of the Amazon Delta
File:Bothrops marmoratus Instituto Butantã.jpg	B. marmoratus Template:Small	0	Marbled lancehead	Goiás, Brazil
File:Mato Grosso Lancehead (Bothrops matogrossensis) (30701582853).jpg	B. mattogrossensis Template:Small	0	Mato Grosso lancehead	Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru
	B. medusa Template:Small	0	Venezuelan forest-pitviper	Venezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa (coastal range), the Federal District and the states of Aragua, Bolívar and Carabobo.
	B. monsignifer Template:Small	0		Eastern slopes of the Andes of Bolivia and southern Peru
File:Bothrops moojeni - Jardim Zoológico de Brasília - DSC09978.JPG	B. moojeni Template:Small	0	Brazilian lancehead	Central and southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina (Misiones) and likely eastern Bolivia
File:Bothrops muriciensis 246127606.jpg	B. muriciensis Template:Small	0		Mata de Murici, Alagoas state, Northeastern Brazil
File:Bothrops neuwiedi.jpg	B. neuwiedi Template:Small	6	Neuwied's lancehead	South America east of the Andes and south of 5°S, including Brazil (southern Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso, an isolated population in Amazonas, Rondônia and all southern states), Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina (Catamarca, Córdoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán) and Uruguay
File:Bothrops oligobalius.jpg	B. oligobalius Template:Small	0		Amazonian forests of southern Colombia, southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil north of the Amazon/Solimões
	B. oligolepis Template:Small	0	Peruvian forest-pitviper	Eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia.
	B. osbornei Template:Small	0		Western Ecuador, Northwestern Peru
	B. otavioi Template:Small	0		Vitória Island, São Paulo, Brazil
File:Jararaca (Bothrops pauloensis - Jovem).jpg	B. pauloensis Template:Small	0		Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia
File:Bothrops pictus.JPG	B. pictus Template:Small	0	Desert lancehead	Peru on the hills of the Pacific coastal region and versant up to about 1800 m elevation
	B. pirajai Template:Small	0	Piraja's lancehead	Brazil in central and southern Bahia state and possibly also Minas Gerais
File:Ejemplar de Yarara (Bothrops pubescens), Uruguay, 2021.jpg	B. pubescens Template:Small	0		Brazil, Uruguay
	B. pulcher Template:Small	0	Andean forest-pitviper	Eastern slopes of the Andes from south-central Colombia to southern Ecuador.
File:Vibora Chocoana.jpg	B. punctatus Template:Small	0	Chocoan lancehead	From the Darién of Panama along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador.
File:Bothrops sanctaecrucis 112338712.jpg	B. sanctaecrucis Template:Small	0	Bolivian lancehead	Bolivia in the Amazonian lowlands from the departments of El Beni to Santa Cruz
	B. sazimai Template:Small	0	Franceses Island lancehead	Ilha dos Franceses, Espírito Santo, Brazil
	B. sonene Template:Small	0		Madre de Dios, Peru
File:Bothriopsis taeniata (3).jpg	B. taeniatus Template:Small	1	Speckled forest-pitviper	Widespread in the equatorial forests of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
File:Bothrops venezuelensis by Danny Siwek.JPG	B. venezuelensis Template:Small	0	Venezuelan lancehead	Northern and central Venezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa (coast range) and the states of Aragua, Carabobo, the Federal District, Miranda, Mérida, Trujillo, Lara, Falcón, Yaracuy and Sucre, and Colombia (Norte de Santander and Boyacá departments

File:Bothrops jararaca 07.jpg

Bothrops jararaca

*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
^T) Type species<ref name="McD99"/>

References

File:Cobra-papagaio - Bothrops bilineatus - Ilhéus - Bahia.jpg

Bothrops bilineatus

External links

• Template:NRDB genus