Bothriechis supraciliaris

Bothriechis supraciliaris
	Photo of specimens from Costa Rica
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Bothriechis
Species:	B. supraciliaris
Binomial name
	Bothriechis supraciliaris; (Taylor, 1954)
Synonyms
	Bothrops schlegelii supraciliaris ; Taylor, 1954; Bothriechis supraciliaris ; — Solórzano et al., 1998;

Bothriechis supraciliaris, commonly known as the blotched eyelash-pitviper,^[3] is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to southern Pacific parts of Talamanca Mountain Range in Costa Rica and western Panama.^[1]^[4]

Description

Holotype specimen (adult female)

Bothriechis supraciliaris is usually 50–60 cm (20–24 in) in total length (including tail), but can reach 80 cm (31 in).^[5]

Its body colour varies. It can be either bluish-green, reddish-brown, or reddish-maroon, but usually it is bright-green or moss-green. The body is circular, ovoid and rhomboid in cross-section, with irregular dorsal blotches, that sometimes form crossbands. The belly is light. There are 21–23 dorsal scales rows at midbody. The head carries dark stripes and prominent scales that are located above the eyes.^[5]

The only sexual dimorphism noted is that females of the species tend to be longer and thicker than males.^[6]

Geographic range

The geographic range of B. supraciliaris is limited to southern Costa Rica (between San Isidro and San Vito) and western Panama.^[1] All of its range overlaps with that of the closely related species B. nigroadspersus.^[3]

Taxonomy

Bothriechis supraciliaris was formerly considered a subspecies of B. schlegelii, the eyelash palm-pitviper.^[2]^[7]^[8]^[3] No subspecies are recognized.^[2]^[7]^[9]^[10]

Biology

B. supraciliaris is an arboreal species inhabiting evergreen lower-montane forests, cloud forests, clearings with coffee and banana plantations, edges of farm fields, and rural gardens. The species is crepuscular or nocturnal, and are more terrestrial than other Bothriechis species. During the day, individuals may rest on the ground or at the base of trees and shrubs.^[3]

The species preys on frogs (including Fitzinger's robber frog), and small forest-floor rodents.^[3]

Venom

This species' venom has a potent hemorrhagic action and moderate myotoxicity (muscle death), and some very weak procoagulant activity. Its LD50 is estimated to be 6.04 mg/kg. Equine polyvalent (Viperidae) antivenom from Instituto Clodomiro Picado has been reported to neutralize the lethality of B. supraciliaris venom. This antivenom was produced from the blood plasma of horses immunized with a mixture of venoms from Bothrops asper, Crotalus simus, and Lachesis stenophry.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Solórzano, A.; Porras, L.W.; Chaves, G.; Acosta Chaves, V. (2021). "Bothriechis supraciliaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T203661A15875283. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T203661A15875283.en. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bothriechis supraciliaris at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Arteaga, Alejandro; Pyron, R. Alexander; Batista, Abel; Vieira, Jose; Pelayo, Elson Meneses; Smith, Eric N.; Amorós, César L. Barrio; Koch, Claudia; Agne, Stefanie; Valencia, Jorge H.; Bustamante, Lucas; Harris, Kyle J. (2024-02-08). "Systematic revision of the Eyelash Palm-Pitviper Bothriechis schlegelii (Serpentes, Viperidae), with the description of five new species and revalidation of three". Evolutionary Systematics. 8: 15–64. doi:10.3897/evolsyst.8.114527. ISSN 2535-0730.
^ Twan Leenders: Reptiles of Costa Rica, Cornell University Press, Ithaca & London, 2019. ISBN 978-0-9894408-4-4.
^ ^a ^b "Bothriechis supraciliaris". AFPMB Living Hazards Database. Armed Forces Pest Management Board. Archived from the original on 2012-01-09. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
^ Solórzano, Alejandro; Gómez, Luis D.; Monge-Nájera, Julián; Crother, Brian I. (1998). "Redescription and validation of Bothriechis supraciliaris". Revista de Biología Tropical. 46 (2): 1001–1013.
^ ^a ^b O'Shea, Mark (March 2008). Venomous Snakes of the World. New Holland Publishers. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-84773-086-2.
^ Lillywhite, Harvey B. (April 2014). How Snakes Work: Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes. Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-19-538037-8.
^ "Taxonomic Information for Bothriechis supraciliaris". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ Lomonte, Bruno; Tsai, Wan-Chih; Bonilla, Fabián; Solórzano, Alejandro; Solano, Gabriela; Angulo, Yamileth; Gutiérrez, José María; Calvete, Juan J. (2012). "Snake venomics and toxicological profiling of the arboreal pitviper Bothriechis supraciliaris from Costa Rica". Toxicon. 59 (5): 592–599. Bibcode:2012Txcn...59..592L. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.01.005. PMID 22333435.