Agkistrodon laticinctus

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Agkistrodon laticinctus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Agkistrodon
Species:
A. laticinctus
Binomial name
Agkistrodon laticinctus
Gloyd & Conant, 1934
Synonyms
  • Agkistrodon mokasen laticinctus Gloyd & Conant, 1934
  • Agkistrodon mokeson laticinctus
    – Gloyd & Conant, 1943
  • Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus
    – Klauber, 1948
  • Ancistrodon contortrix laticinctus
    –
    Schmidt, 1953[1]

Agkistrodon laticinctus, commonly known as the broad-banded copperhead, is a

Agkistrodon contortrix, which is found in the southern United States, from Kansas, through Oklahoma and throughout central Texas
.

Description

Head of a broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)

This form is typically a light tan in color, with darker brown, wide crossbands - which gives it its common name. The actual color varies, by locality, from a red-brown, to a gray-brown. It overlaps with the southern copperhead,

A. contortrix in the eastern reaches of its range, making specimens there difficult to distinguish, but generally A. contortrix has banding that narrows at the spine, creating hourglass shapes, whereas A. laticinctus has bands that do not narrow at the spine. They grow to approximately 20-36 inches (50–90 cm) in length. As juveniles, all species of Agkistrodon have a bright green-yellow color to their tail
tips, believed to be used as a lure to attract prey items to approach within striking range. The color fades to a grey or brown at about a year of age.

Common names

Common names for this species include: broad-banded copperhead, copperhead moccasin, copperhead snake, dry-land moccasin, highland moccasin, moccasin, rattlesnake pilot, red eye, Texas copperhead[4] and thunder snake.[4]

Geographic range

Agkistrodon laticinctus is known to populate the region between 97 degrees and 99 degrees west longitude, from Central Texas north to the southern border of Kansas and Oklahoma.[4]

Behavior

Secretive and

anurans, and certain insects, with juveniles in particular having a taste for various kinds of insects, such as cicadas. Wide foraging of caterpillars has also been documented in the field.[5] They are ovoviviparous
, giving birth to a litter of up to eight young in the early fall.

Venom

Like most

CroFab, which makes use of the venom from the cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus
), can be used in cases of a severe envenomation.

Gallery

  • Broad-banded copperhead
    Broad-banded copperhead
  • Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
    Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
  • Closeup of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
    Closeup of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
  • Belly or ventral view of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
    Belly or ventral view of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
  • A juvenile Agkistrodon laticinctus with yellow tail
    A juvenile Agkistrodon laticinctus with yellow tail
  • Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
    Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
  • A broad-banded copperhead at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Somervell Co., Texas (10 October 2020)
    A broad-banded copperhead at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Somervell Co., Texas (10 October 2020)
  • Agkistrodon laticinctus photographed at the Hellabrunn Zoo, Múnich, Germany
    Agkistrodon laticinctus photographed at the Hellabrunn Zoo, Múnich, Germany

References

  1. ISBN 1-893777-01-4
    (volume).
  2. doi:10.1111/zoj.12211
  3. ^ "Agkistrodon laticinctus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 15 May 2007.
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-8014-0463-0
    .
  5. ^ Salmon, G. T., H. W. Greene, and T. Dimler. "Biology of the Pitvipers 2." Biology of the Pitvipers 2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA, 4–7 June 2014. Web. 19 July 2014.

External links

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