Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
|
Family : VIPERIDAE
Species : Trimeresurus vogeli
Maximum Size : females to 110 cm, males to 80 cm
Vogel's Green Pit Viper
was first described in 2001 (David et al, 2001) : prior to that date the
species was confused with Stejneger's Pit Viper. This snake, which is
endemic to Thailand, has been documented mainly from moist, evergreen
forest.
The images presented here are of a large, adult male specimen from Khao Yai
National Park, Thailand. The snake was found at night, in low vegetation
next to a mountain stream at an elevation of around 800 metres. The species
is common in this popular national park (G. Vogel, pers. comm.).
The body, tail and head shape of this species are typical of green pit
vipers. Vogel's Green Pit Viper can be quickly distinguished in the field
from other, similar, pit vipers by the typical presence of a stripe along
the lower flanks (i.e. dorsolateral stripe) which is either white, whitish
blue, or whitish yellow. Pale vertebral spots are present in males, and
absent in females. (David et al, 2001). Males are typically dark green and
females pale green, and the eyes are yellow or yellowish green. Other
distinguishing features require close-up examination of scales and
other anatomical features.
The example shown here is identified as a male based on a number of
characteristics, but mainly the faint dark crossbands across the dorsum, the
thin red stripe beneath the white dorsolateral stripe, and the extreme tip
of the tail being reddish.
Vogel's Green Pit Viper is so far only known from Thailand, having
been documented from four provinces east of the capital Bangkok, two of
which are adjacent to the Cambodia border. It also occurs in the province of
Krabi in the south.
Fig 1 : Male specimen next to a mountain stream.
Fig 2 : Note the faint, dark crossbars across the body.
Fig 3 : In this image, a thin red line is evident beneath the white
ventrolateral line : this may be present in some males.
Fig 4 : Close-up of the ventrolateral line and ventral scales.
All images are of the same specimen from Khao Yai National Park,
Thailand.
References :
David, P., Vidal, N., & Pauwels, O. S. (2001). A morphological study of
Stejneger’s pitviper Trimeresurus stejnegeri (Serpentes,
Viperidae, Crotalinae), with the description of a new species from
Thailand. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 8(3), 205-222.
With grateful thanks to
Gernot Vogel, after whom the species was named, for correcting the
identity of the snake in these images.
|