Lachesis acrochorda explained
Lachesis acrochorda, also known commonly as the Chocoan bushmaster,[1] is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to Central America and South America.
Taxonomy
L. acrochorda was formerly considered a synonym of Lachesis stenophrys.
Description
L. acrochorda has a light brown head and black postocular stripes that can range from 1-2 scales wide. The longest recorded length of a male individual in Ecuador was ; for females it was .
Geographic range
L. acrochorda is found in Panama, northern and western Colombia (in the Departments of Chocó, Cauca and Antioquia), and northwestern Ecuador.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of L. acrochorda is lowland forest, premontane wet forest, and montane wet forest, mostly in mature forests, at altitudes from sea level to .
Behavior
L. acrochorda is terrestrial and nocturnal.
Reproduction
L. acrochorda is oviparous.
Venom
The venom of L. acrochorda is extremely dangerous in that a snakebite incident will result in a 90% chance of death. Its venom can cause serious side effects, such as vasodilation and blood anti-coagulation.[2]
Further reading
- Fuentes, Rogemif Daniel; Corrales Greivin (2016). "New distribution record and reproductive data for the Chocoan Bushmaster, Lachesis acrochorda (Serpentes: Viperidae), in Panama". Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (1): 115–127. (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).
- Garcia E (1896). Los Ofidios Venenosos del Cauca: Métodos empíricos y racionales empleados contra los accidentes producidos por la mordedura de esos reptiles. Cali: Librería Colombiana. xv + 102 pp. (Bothrops acrochordus, new species, pp. 23–25 + color plate of head). (in Spanish).
- Hohmeister, Andreas (2004). "Der zentralamerikanische Buschmeister (Lachesis stenophrys Cope 1876) im Terrarium ". Reptilia (Münster) 9 (50): 56–62. (in German).
Notes and References
- [Jonathan A. Campbell|Campbell JA]
- Angel-Camilo. Karen Leonor. Guerrero-Vargas. Jimmy Alexander. Carvalho. Emanuella Feitosa de. Lima-Silva. Karine. de Siqueira. Rodrigo José Bezerra. Freitas. Lyara Barbosa Nogueira. Sousa. João Antônio Costa de. Mota. Mario Rogério Lima. Santos. Armênio Aguiar dos. Neves-Ferreira. Ana Gisele da Costa. Havt. Alexandre. 2020. Disorders on cardiovascular parameters in rats and in human blood cells caused by Lachesis acrochorda snake venom. Toxicon. en. 184. 180–191. 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.06.009. 32585218 . 0041-0101. free.
