Bothrops sazimai, or Franceses Island-lancehead, is a species of pit viper from Franceses Island, Brazil.[1] It is named after Professor Ivan Sazima for his contribution to the study of natural history and conservation of Brazilian fauna, and for his field studies on Bothrops jararaca.[2]
| Bothrops sazimai | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Bothrops |
| Species: | B. sazimai
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bothrops sazimai Barbo et al., 2016
| |
Description
editBothrops sazimai can be distinguished from other Bothrops species by its larger eyes, shorter and higher head, slender body, longer tail, grey/brown colouring, cream-white grey-speckled underbelly and the specific numbers of specific scales.[2]
Bothrops sazimai specifically differs from Bothrops jararaca by its smaller size, longer tail, slender body and larger eyes. It also differs from Bothrops alcatraz, Bothrops insularis and Bothrops otavioi by its larger number of ventral and subcaudal scales. Additionally it can be distinguished from B. insularis by its colour, smaller size, smaller head and smaller tail. Conversely, it can be distinguished from B. alcatraz and B. otavioi by its larger size as well as the yellow tip on juveniles' tails.[2]
Diet
editBothrops sazimai is known to eat nocturnal prey such as frogs, lizards (Gymnodactylus darwinii and tropical house geckos), centipedes (Scolopendromorpha) and sometimes other snakes.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ Barbo, Fausto E.; Grazziotin, Felipe G.; Pereira-Filho, Gentil A.; Freitas, Marco A.; Abrantes, Stephenson H.F.; Kokubum, Marcelo N. de C. (February 2022). "Isolated by dry lands: integrative analyses unveil the existence of a new species and a previously unknown evolutionary lineage of Brazilian Lanceheads (Serpentes: Viperidae: Bothrops) from a Caatinga moist-forest enclave". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 100 (2): 147–159. doi:10.1139/cjz-2021-0131. ISSN 0008-4301.
- ^ a b c d "Bothrops sazimai". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Sawaya, Ricardo J.; Fausto E. Barbo, Felipe G. Grazziotin, Otavio A. V. Marques, and Marcio Martins 2023. Lanceheads in Land-Bridge Islands of Brazil: Repeated and Parallel Evolution of Dwarf Pitvipers. In: Lillywhite & Martins, eds., Islands and snakes, vol. II. Oxford University Press, p. 67 ff