Craspedocephalus travancoricus

Craspedocephalus travancoricus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Craspedocephalus
Species:	C. travancoricus
Binomial name
Craspedocephalus travancoricus Mallik, Srikanthan, Ganesh, Vijayakumar, Campbell, Malhotra, & Shanker, 2021

Craspedocephalus travancoricus is a venomous species of arboreal pit viper from India named after the Travancore hills it inhabits.[1][2]

Description

Craspedocephalus travancoricus displays a slender, cylindrical body with around 34.5 to 28 cm snout to vent length, a tail around 6 cm long and a head around 2 cm long. It can also be distinguished from other snakes by its specific scale count and shapes as well as its colouring, with the top of its head almost covered in dark brown to purplish brown colour with a light yellowish green border, its body being a faded green marbled with brown and its tail having 13 yellow-green bands. Its eyes are also silverish with a yellow tint, displaying red blotches throughout the eye concentrating towards the middle.[1]

C. travancoricus is also known to have multiple colour morphs – green, brown, green-brown, orange and grey-black.[1]

Habitat

Being an arboreal snake, Craspedocephalus travancoricus is often found in bushes and undergrowth near streams in forests.[1]

References

1. Mallik, Ashok Kumar; Srikanthan, Achyuthan Needamangalam; Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan; Vijayakumar, Seenapuram Palaniswamy; Campbell, Patrick D.; Malhotra, Anita; Shanker, Kartik (6 October 2021). "Resolving pitfalls in pit viper systematics – A multi-criteria approach to species delimitation in pit vipers (Reptilia, Viperidae, Craspedocephalus) of Peninsular India reveals cryptic diversity". Vertebrate Zoology. 71: 577–619. doi:10.3897/vz.71.e66239. ISSN 2625-8498.
2. "Craspedocephalus travancoricus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 25 August 2024.