Tropidolaemus wagleri
| Tropidolaemus wagleri | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Tropidolaemus |
| Species: | T. wagleri
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| Binomial name | |
| Tropidolaemus wagleri (F. Boie, 1827)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Tropidolaemus wagleri, more commonly known as Wagler's pit viper, is a
Etymology
The specific name, wagleri, is in honour of German herpetologist Johann Georg Wagler.[4]
Description
The Wagler's pit viper is
They are found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, often referred to as "phases". In the past, some researchers classified the different phases as subspecies. The phases vary greatly from having a black or brown coloration as a base, with orange and yellow banding, to others having a light green as the base color, with yellow or orange banding, and many variations therein.
Common names
Geographic range
The Wagler's pit viper is found in southern
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of the Wagler's pit viper is the forest, at altitudes from sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft).[1]
Behavior
Feeding
The primary diet of the Wagler's pit viper consists of rodents, birds, and lizards. The pits, one on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril, are capable of detecting temperature difference of as little as 0.003 of a degree Celsius (0.0054 of a degree Fahrenheit).[10]
Reproduction
Sexually mature females of the Wagler's pit viper bear live young by ovoviviparity. Litter size varies from 15 to 41.[11]
Venom
The venom of the Wagler's pit viper contains four novel peptides (Waglerins 1-4). The Waglerins produce fatal respiratory paralysis of adult mice.[12][13] An initial study indicated that micromolar concentrations of Waglerin 1 act both pre- and postsynaptically to inhibit transmission across rat neuromuscular junctions.[14] However, Waglerin-1 is a more potent inhibitor of transmission across the mouse neuromuscular junction.[15] A subsequent study demonstrated that Waglerin-1 inhibited the adult mouse endplate response to acetylcholine with an IC50 of 50 nanomolar. In striking contrast, transmission across neuromuscular junctions of neonatal or transgenic mice lacking the adult acetylcholine receptor was not altered by micromolar concentrations of Waglerin-1.[16] Biochemical studies demonstrated that the exquisite selectivity of Waglerin-1 for the adult mouse acetylcholine receptor relies upon several amino acid residues unique to the epsilon subunit of the adult mouse acetylcholine receptor.[17] Waglerin-1's selectivity for the epsilon-subunit containing acetylcholine receptor of adult mice is complemented by selectivity of small peptide toxins purified from the venom of Conus geographus and Conus pergrandis for the gamma-subunit containing acetylcholine receptor of neonatal skeletal muscle.[18][19] The Waglerins and complementary conotoxins are useful tools to discover the contribution of acetylcholine receptor subunits to synaptogenesis.[20] In addition, study of the Waglerins and related toxic peptides may lead to the discovery of novel molecular targets for drug development. While Waglerin-1 interacts with other members of the ligand-gated superfamily of ion channels, the potency is much less than for inhibition of the adult mouse muscle acetylcholine receptor.[21][22] Structural study suggests that Waglerin-1 may undergo molecular rearrangement that allows for binding to multiple receptors.[23] The actions of Waglerin-1 reverse upon removal of the peptide.
Waglerin-1 is included in some skin creams marketed as wrinkle removers.[24] There is no scientific evidence supporting the manufacturers' suggestion that the Waglerin-1 included in their products relaxes wrinkle producing skeletal muscles.
Taxonomy
The Wagler's pit viper has undergone much taxonomic reclassification over the years and was previously placed in the genus Trimeresurus. However, its distinctly different morphology and venom characteristics set it apart, so that eventually a new genus was erected in which it was placed together with Hutton's viper, Tropidolaemus huttoni.
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ISBN 1-893777-01-4(volume).
- ^ "Tropidolaemus wagleri ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
- ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
- ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
- .
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T192241A217770117.en. Accessed on 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Wagler's Pit Viper Tropidolaemus wagleri ". Wildlife Singapore. Archived from the original on 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ISBN 0-88359-061-1. (Tropidolaemus wagleri, p. 58.)
- PMID 2048140.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - PMID 1440639.
- PMID 1359525.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - PMID 7638875.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - PMID 10087048.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - PMID 12069578.
- PMID 15659611.
- PMID 16430227.
- S2CID 25290991.
- S2CID 38433826.
- PMID 9223541.
- PMID 8770182.
- ^ "Euoko, Y-30 Intense Lift Concentrate". Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
Further reading
- Boie F (1827). Bemerkungen über Merrem's Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1te Lieferung: Ophidier. Isis von Oken 20: 508-566. (Cophias wagleri, new species, p. 562). (in German).
- Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the ... Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Lachesis wagleri, pp. 562–564).
External links
- Tropidolaemus wagleri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.