Trimeresurus kanburiensis

{{Short description|Species of snake}} {{Speciesbox | image = Trimeresurus kanburiensis-2.jpg | image_caption = Trimeresurus kanburiensis from [[Kanchanaburi Province]], [[Thailand]] | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{Cite journal | author = Chan-Ard, T. | author2 = Grismer, L. | author3 = Stuart, B. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Cryptelytrops kanburiensis'' | journal = [[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume = 2012 | page = e.T192181A2052063 | publisher = [[IUCN]] | date = 2012 | url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/192181/0 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192181A2052063.en | access-date = 10 January 2018| doi-access = free }}</ref> | genus = Trimeresurus | species = kanburiensis | authority = [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1943 | synonyms = *''Trimeresurus puniceus'' [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1928 *''Trimeresurus kanburiensis'' [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1943 *''Trimeresurus venustus'' Vogel, 1991<ref name=McD99>McDiarmid RW, [[Jonathan A. Campbell|Campbell JA]], Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. {{ISBN|1-893777-00-6}} (series). {{ISBN|1-893777-01-4}} (volume).</ref> *''Cryptelytrops kanburiensis'' – Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004 *''Trimeresurus (Trimeresurus) kanburiensis'' – David et al., 2011<ref name=NRDB>{{NRDB species|genus=Trimeresurus|species=kanburiensis|date=27 November|year=2012}}</ref> }}

'''''Trimeresurus kanburiensis''''' is a [[species]] of [[pit viper]] found in only a few areas of [[Thailand]]. [[Common name]]s include: '''Kanburi pitviper''',<ref name="Gum04">Gumprecht A, Tillack F, [[Nikolai Liutsianovich Orlov|Orlov NL]], [[Ashok Captain|Captain A]], Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. GeitjeBooks. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. {{ISBN|3-937975-00-4}}.</ref> '''Kanburian pit viper''', and '''tiger pit viper'''.<ref name=Meh87>Mehrtens JM. 1987. ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. {{ISBN|0-8069-6460-X}}.</ref> Highly [[venomous snake|venomous]], it is an [[arboreal]] but heavily built species with a brown or tawny coloration. No [[subspecies]] are currently recognized.<ref name=NRDB/><ref name=ITIS>{{ITIS|id=634918|taxon=''Trimeresurus kanburiensis'' |accessdate=26 July 2008}}</ref>

==Description== Adults grow to more than {{convert|30|in|cm|abbr=on|disp=flip}} in length and are heavily built. The maximum length is unknown.

Scalation includes 19 rows of [[dorsal scales]] at midbody, 159 [[ventral scales]], 42 [[subcaudal scales]] and 10 [[supralabial scales]], the third being the largest.<ref name=Gum04/>

The color pattern varies from brown with faint patterning to tawny with dull brown blotches and spots along with a ventrolateral stripe.<ref name=Meh87/>

This species, especially the population in the south, which was formerly referred to as ''T. venustus'' and recently shown to be a separate species, has often been confused with the mangrove pit viper, ''[[Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus|T. purpureomaculatus]]''.<ref name=McD99/> However, the two are easily distinguished by the first three [[supralabial scales]], which are much enlarged in ''T. kanburiensis''.<ref name=Meh87/>

==Geographic range== Found in [[Thailand]]. The [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] given is "limestone hills near Kanburi, south-western Siam" (= [[Kanchanaburi]], [[Kanchanaburi Province]], Thailand). Listed as "S.W. China" in the catalogue entry at the [[Natural History Museum, London|British Museum of Natural History]].<ref name=McD99/><ref name=Gum04/>

Known only from two other areas near the type locality, as well as from the type locality given in Vogel (1991) for ''T. venustus'', which is "[[Amphoe Thung Song|Thung Song]], [[Nakhon Si Thammarat Province|Provinz Nakhon Si Thammarat]], Süd-Thailand".<ref name=McD99/>

==Habitat== The species is found in forest and open woodland, in areas of open hills.<ref name=Meh87/>

==Behavior== Arboreal and nocturnal, although they have been reported basking during daylight hours. Retreats to seek shelter in the foliage during the heat of the day.<ref name=Meh87/>

==Feeding== The diet consists of mammals and birds. Juveniles probably also feed on frogs and lizards.<ref name=Meh87/>

==Reproduction== [[Ovoviviparity|Ovoviviparous]], with females giving birth to live young.<ref name=Meh87/>

==Taxonomy== A review of this taxon by Warrell ''et al.'' (1992) found that the only difference between ''T. kanburiensis'' and ''T. venustus'' was in the number of midbody [[dorsal scale]]: 19 vs. 21 respectively. Based on this, they doubted that these were different species.<ref name=McD99/> However, David ''et al.'' (2004) have shown that they are indeed different species where ''kaburiensis'' is found in northern Thailand while ''venustus'' is found in the southern regions of Thailand and northern [[Malaysia]].<ref>David P, Vogel G, Sumontha M, Pauwels OSG, Chanhome L. 2004. Expanded description of the poorly known pitviper ''Trimeresurus kanburiensis'' Smith, 1943, with confirmation of the validity of ''Trimeresurus venustus'' Vogel, 1991. Russ. J. Herpetol. 11 (2): 81-9.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} * [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|Smith, M.A.]] 1943. ''The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes''. Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xii + 583 pp. (''"Trimeresurus kanburiensis, sp. nov."'', p. 519.) {{Refend}}

[[Category:Trimeresurus|kanburiensis]] [[Category:Reptiles described in 1943]] [[Category:Endemic fauna of Thailand]] [[Category:Snakes of Thailand]]