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A recent study on the ⁢eyelash palm-pitviper (Bothriechis schlegelii) has revealed that the species is‌ actually composed of five distinct ‍species. ⁢This conclusion was reached through a​ thorough taxonomic and systematic evaluation, which involved the examination ⁢of 400 ‍museum specimens‍ and a “phylogeographic analysis of 818 locality records, and ‍80 individuals​ sampled for⁣ molecular characters.”

Images of living specimens of​ Bothriechis hussaini sp.⁢ nov. from Ecuador. a. CZ-003 adult female from El Colorado, El Oro province; b. CZ-001 adult male from El⁤ Colorado, El Oro province; c. ⁣CZ-004 adult male from‌ San Carlos,⁣ Guayas province; d. ZSFQ 5058 juvenile female from Buenaventura Organic Reserve, El Oro ​province; e.‍ AMARU SN adult female Buenaventura Organic Reserve, ⁢El Oro province; f. subadult ⁢of undetermined sex from Buenaventura Organic Reserve,‌ El Oro province; g. ⁣ZSFQ 5056 adult male holotype from Buenaventura Organic Reserve, El Oro province. Photographs by Alejandro Arteaga and Jose Vieira

In addition to⁣ Bothriechis schlegelii, which​ has‍ also been redescribed, the new species are B. klebbai⁤ sp. nov., B. rasikusumorum sp. nov., B. khwargi sp. nov., B. ⁣rahimi sp. nov., ​and B. ⁤hussaini sp. nov. ⁤The researchers‌ have also revised the names of‌ B. nigroadspersus, B. nitidus, and B. torvus.

Images of living specimens of ⁣ Bothriechis rahimi sp. nov. from Tundaloma Lodge, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador. a. Adult ‍female; b. MZUTI 3325 adult male; and c. ZSFQ 5053 adult‌ female. Photographs by Lucas Bustamante,⁤ Alejandro Arteaga, and Frank Pichardo.

“A total of 279 DNA ⁣sequences were used to ⁤construct a phylogenetic tree of the genus Bothriechis, of which 206 were generated during ‌this study​ and 73 were ‍downloaded⁣ from GenBank,” the researchers wrote in their paper. They also created distribution​ maps and ecological niche models ​to determine the ranges of the ​ten species of snakes in the Bothriechis genus.

Images of some specimens⁣ of Bothriechis nigroadspersus in life. a. Adult female from a private collection in Costa Rica; b. MHCH 3269 adult​ from Guabito, Bocas del Toro province,⁤ Panama; c. Subadult from Parque Nacional Gandoca Manzanillo, Limón province, Costa Rica; d. Adult from a private​ collection in⁣ Costa ⁣Rica; e, f. Juveniles‌ from Parque Nacional Gandoca Manzanillo, Limón province, Costa Rica; g. MHCH⁢ 3268 adult female from Portón, Chiriquí province, Panama; h. MHCH⁤ 3266 adult female from Chucantí Reserve, Darién province, Panama; i. Subadult from Parque ‍Nacional Gandoca Manzanillo, Limón province, Costa Rica; j. Adult female from a private collection in Costa Rica;⁤ k. FP 001 from Cerro Gaital, Coclé province, ⁢Panama; l. MHCH 3267 juvenile male from Chucantí Reserve, ​Darién province, Panama. Photographs by Jose Vieira.

Geographic Ranges of Bothriechis⁣ sp.

The geographic ranges of each new⁣ species appear to vary. One species can be found in the lowlands​ and mid elevations ⁣of the Cordillera Oriental mountains of Colombia. A second species occurs ​on the‌ western slopes of the same ‍mountains in⁤ the highlands, while a ⁤third is primarily found in ‍Ecuador. A fourth species is known to occur only in the Chocoan lowlands of southwestern Colombia, adjacent to northwestern Ecuador, while the fifth species can be found in drier ecosystems between the Choco and Tumbes biogeographic regions of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru.

Palm Pit Vipers Of The Genus Bothriechis

The researchers involved in this study include Alejandro Arteaga, R.⁤ Alexander Pyron, Abel Batista, Jose⁣ Vieira, Elson Meneses Pelayo, Eric N. Smith, César L. Barrio Amorós, Claudia Koch, Stefanie Agne, Jorge‌ H. ⁣Valencia, Lucas Bustamante, and ⁢Kyle J. Harris.

The full paper, ⁣“Systematic​ revision of the Eyelash Palm-Pitviper Bothriechis‌ schlegelii ⁣ (Serpentes, Viperidae), with the description of five new species and revalidation of three” and accompanying ​data can be read on ⁤the Evolutionary Systematics website.

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The post 5 Stunning Venomous Eyelash Pit Viper​ Snakes ‌Of The Bothriechis Genus Described appeared first on Reptiles Journal.

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