Lachesis muta

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Lachesis muta

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Lachesis
Species:
L. muta
Binomial name
Lachesis muta
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms[2]
  • [Crotalus] mutus
    Linnaeus, 1766
  • [Coluber] crotalinus
    Gmelin, 1788
  • Scytale catenatus
    Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801
  • Scytale ammodytes
    Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801
  • Coluber Alecto
    Shaw, 1802
  • Lachesis mutus
    Daudin, 1803
  • Lachesis ater
    Daudin, 1803
  • Trigonocephalus ammodytes
    Oppel, 1811
  • [Cophias] crotalinus
    Merrem, 1820
  • Trigonoceph[alus]. crotalinus
    Schinz, 1822
  • Lachesis muta
    — Schinz, 1822
  • Lachesis atra
    — Schinz, 1822
  • Scytale catenata
    — Schinz, 1822
  • Bothrops Surucucu
    Wagler, 1824
  • C[rasedocephalus]. crotalinus
    Gray, 1825
  • Lachesis mutus
    A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron &
    A.H.A. Duméril, 1854
  • Lachesis mutus
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Lachesis muta
    Boettger, 1898
  • Lachesis muta muta
    Taylor, 1951

Lachesis muta, also known as the Southern American bushmaster or Atlantic bushmaster,

pit viper species found in South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.[4]

Taxonomy

Two additional subspecies, L. m. melanocephala and L. m. stenophrys, had earlier been recognized. However, both were elevated to species level by Zamudio and Green in 1997 (see L. melanocephala and L. stenophrys).[2]

Subspecies

Subspecies[4] Taxon author[4] Common name Geographic range[2]
Lachesis muta muta (Linnaeus, 1766) South American bushmaster Southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, Peru, northern Bolivia, eastern and southern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and much of northern Brazil
Lachesis muta rhombeata (Wied-Neuwied, 1824) Atlantic Forest bushmaster Coastal forests of southeastern Brazil (from southern Rio Grande do Norte to Rio de Janeiro).

Description

Adults grow to an average of 2 to 2.5 m (6½-8 feet), although 3 m (10 feet) is not too unusual. The largest recorded specimen was 3.65 m (almost 12 feet) long, making the species the largest of all

rhinoceros viper).[citation needed
]

The head is broad and distinct from the narrow neck. The snout is broadly rounded. There is no

supralabial forms the anterior border of the loreal pit, while the third is very large. The eye is separated from the supralabials by 4-5 rows of small scales.[6]

The body is cylindrical, tapered and moderately stout. Midbody there are 31-37 nonoblique rows of

subcaudals, followed by 13-17 rows of small spines and a terminal spine.[6] Like most New World pit vipers, Lachesis muta exhibits defensive tail vibration behavior in response to potential predatory threats[7]

The color pattern consists of a yellowish, reddish or grey-brown ground color, overlaid with a series of dark brown or black dorsal blotches that form lateral inverted triangles of the same color. The lateral pattern may be precisely or indistinctly defined, normally pale at the center.[5]

Venom

Lachesis muta muta in Ecuador

Some reports suggest that this species produces a large amount of venom that is weak compared to some other vipers.[8] Others, however, suggest that such conclusions are not accurate. These animals are badly affected by stress and rarely live long in captivity. This makes it difficult to obtain venom in useful quantities and good condition for study purposes. For example, Bolaños (1972) observed that venom yield from his specimens fell from 233 mg to 64 mg while they remained in his care. As the stress of being milked regularly has this effect on venom yield, it is reasoned that it may also affect venom toxicity. This may explain the disparity described by Hardy and Haad (1998) between the low laboratory toxicity of the venom and the high mortality rate of bite victims.[9]

Brown (1973) gives the following

hemorrhage and kidney failure.[12] In ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil, a 7-year-old boy was bitten when he left the house and stepped on one of these specimens, which then readily bit him; death was reported to have occurred approximately 15 minutes later. In 2005, in northwest Mato Grosso, a 5-year-old child also died, going into shock approximately 30 minutes after being bitten by a Lachesis muta and succumbing within 90 minutes.[13][14]

Etymology

rattlesnakes and vibrates its tail vigorously when alarmed, but has no rattle and was therefore called mutus (later muta), which is Latin for "dumb" or "mute". However, when in the undergrowth, the tail actually makes quite a loud rustling noise.[15]

Common names

Known as the mapepire zanana or mapepire grande (pronounced ma-pa(y)-PEE za-Na-na or ma-pa(Y)-PEE GRAN-dey) in Trinidad,

Amazon Basin (surucucu in a large part of Brazil), shushúpe in Peru, and pucarara in Bolivia. In Venezuela the species is known as cuaima or cuaima piña. In Colombia it is known as verrugosa or verrugoso due to the warty look of its scales, and in Suriname as makasneki and makkaslang.[18]

It is called ĩtsãi in the Kwaza language of Rondônia, Brazil.[19]

In the

Shawi language of Peru, it is called na’shi.[20]

Distribution and habitat

L. muta is found in South America in the equatorial forests east of the

type locality is "Surinami" (Suriname).[2] It occurs in primary and secondary forests; adjacent fields and cleared areas.[5] In Trinidad it tends to prefer hilly and mountainous regions.[21]

Diet

Bushmasters prey primarily on rats and mice. Birds and reptiles may occasionally be eaten. Spiny rats are favored prey items in Costa Rica.[22] Rice rats and agoutis are other favored prey.[23][24] Other prey items include porcupines, squirrels, opossums, squirrel monkeys, and frogs.[24]

References

  1. ^ Gutiérrez-Cárdenas, P., Rivas, G., Caicedo, J.R., Ouboter, P., Hoogmoed, M.S. & Murphy, J. 2021. Lachesis muta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T62254A44946798. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T62254A44946798.en. Accessed on 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ (volume).
  3. ^ Lang, Kirsty (6 October 2013). "Trying to save the heat-seeking Atlantic bushmaster". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "Lachesis muta". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ .
  7. ^ Allf, B. C., Durst, P. A., & Pfennig, D. W. (2016). Behavioral plasticity and the origins of novelty: the evolution of the rattlesnake rattle. The American Naturalist, 188(4), 475-483.
  8. ^ Lachesis muta, The Silent Fate at South American Pictures. Accessed 26 October 2006.
  9. ^ Ripa D (2001). "Bushmasters and the Heat Strike" at VenomousReptiles.org Archived 2008-04-09 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 26 October 2006.
  10. .
  11. .
  12. .
  13. ^ Rodrigo C. G. de Souza; Ana Paula Bhering Nogueira; Tiago Lima; João Luiz C. Cardoso (2007). "The Enigma of the North Margin of the Amazon River : Proven Lachesis Bites in Brazil, Report of Two Cases, General Considerations about the Genus and Bibliographic Review" (PDF). Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 42 (7): 105–115. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  14. ^ Rodrigo (2 January 2011). "Núcleo Serra Grande: Sobre o tamanho (verdadeiro) de Lachesis". Núcleo Serra Grande. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  15. .
  16. ^ Mendes, John (1986). Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad & Tobago Dictionary. Arima, Trinidad. p. 95.
  17. ^ a b "List of Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago" Archived 2006-08-08 at the Wayback Machine at Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Biodiversity Clearing House Archived 2012-12-21 at archive.today. Accessed 25 October 2006.
  18. ^ Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004).
  19. ^ Manso, Laura Vicuña Pereira. 2013. Dicionário da língua Kwazá. M.A. dissertation. Guajará-Mirim: Federal University of Rondônia.
  20. ^ Rojas-Berscia, Luis Miguel. 2019. From Kawapanan to Shawi: Topics in language variation and change. Doctoral dissertation, Radboud University Nijmegen.
  21. ^ Herklots GAC (1961). The Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. London: Collins. p. 10.
  22. ^ Adams, Ashely. "Lachesis muta (South American Bushmaster)". Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Lachesis muta (Bushmaster or Mapepire Zanana)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Amazonian Bushmaster (Lachesis muta)".

Further reading

External links