Gloydius monticola

Gloydius monticola is a venomous pitviper species endemic to southern China. A small and darkly colored snake with no visible color pattern, it is found high in the mountains of northern Yunnan province. No subspecies are currently recognized.^[5]

Gloydius monticola
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Gloydius
Species:	G. monticola
Binomial name
Gloydius monticola (F. Werner, 1922)
Synonyms
Ancistrodon blomhoffi monticola F. Werner, 1922 Agkistrodon halys monticola – Gee, 1929 Agkistrodon monticola – Mell, 1929 Agkistrodon strauchi popei Mell, 1931 Ancistrodon halys monticola – Rendahl, 1933 Agkistrodon blomhoffi monticola – Mertens, 1934 Gloydius monticola – Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981[2]

Common names: Likiang pit viper,^[3] Likiang pitviper.^[4]

Description

Gloyd and Conant (1990) state that the only male they examined was 37.4 cm (14.7 in) long with a 5.4 cm (2.1 in) tail. The largest female was 49.8 cm (19.6 in) in length with a tail of 5.9 cm (2.3 in). The body is relatively slender, although adult females are more stout. The snout is rounded, while the head is not markedly wider than the neck.^[3]

Scalation includes 6 supralabial scales, 19 rows of keeled dorsal scales at midbody, 140 ventral scales, a single anal scale, and 32 paired subcaudal scales.^[3]

The coloration consists of a black, dark brown, or dark gray ground color, with almost no discernible pattern. Exceptions to this rule may have labial scales with a whitish border along the line of the mouth, a few whitish subcaudal scales at the tail tip, or a faint hint of a dorsal pattern.^[3]

Geographic range

Found in southern China in the mountains of northern Yunnan^[2] at elevations of 3,600–4,000 m (11,800–13,100 ft)^[3] The type locality given is "Yao-Schan bei Lidjiang, NW-Yünnan, 3600 m." [Yaoshan, near Lijiang, northwestern Yunnan, China, 3,600 m (11,800 ft)].^[2]