Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus

Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus is a venomous pit viper species native to India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. Common names include: mangrove pit viper,^[4] mangrove viper,^[5] and shore pit viper.^[6]

Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Trimeresurus
Species:	T. purpureomaculatus
Binomial name
Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus (Gray, 1832)
Synonyms
Trigonocephalus purpureo-maculatus Gray, 1832 Trimesurus purpureus Gray, 1842 Trimesurus carinatus Gray, 1842 C[ryptelytrops]. carinatus – Cope, 1860 [Trimesurus] porphyraceus Blyth, 1861 Trimeresurus purpureus – Günther, 1864 T[rimeresurus]. carinatus – Theobald, 1868 Crotalus Trimeres[urus]. carinatus – Higgins, 1873 Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus – Boulenger, 1890 Lachesis purpureomaculatus – Boulenger, 1896 Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus – M.A. Smith, 1943 Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus purpureomaculatus – M.A. Smith, 1943[2] Cryptelytrops purpureomaculatus – Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004 Trimeresurus (Trimeresurus) purpureomaculatus – David et al.[3]

Description

Males grow to a total length of 66.5 centimetres (26.2 in), females 90 centimetres (35 in). The maximum tail lengths are then 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) and 14 centimetres (5.5 in) respectively.^[7]

Small individual from Singapore

Scales in 25-27 longitudinal rows at midbody; 11-13 upper labials, the first partially or completely united with the nasal; supraocular very narrow, sometimes broken into small scales, 12-15 scales between them; head scales small, subequal, tuberculate or granular; temporal scales keeled.^[7]

Body color highly variable: above olive, grayish, to dark purplish brown; below whitish, greenish or brown, uniform or spotted with brown; a light line on scale row one bordering ventrals present or absent; head olive, heavily suffused with brown.^[7]

Ventrals: males 160-179, females 168-183; subcaudals: males 74-76, females 56-63, paired; hemipenes without spines.^[7]

Common names

Mangrove pit viper,^[4] mangrove viper,^[5] shore pit viper, purple-spotted pit viper,^[6] shore pitviper.^[8]

Geographic range

Found in Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, West Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (Sumatra and Java). The type locality is listed as "Singapore".^[2]