Craspedocephalus macrolepis

{{Short description|Species of snake}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Speciesbox | image = Large-scaled pitvitper-Closeup.jpg | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Srinivasulu, C. |author2=Srinivasulu, B. |author3=Deepak, V. |author4=Shankar, G. |author5=Das, A. |date=2013 |title=''Trimeresurus macrolepis'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T172623A1354137 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172623A1354137.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Craspedocephalus | species = macrolepis | authority = ([[Richard Henry Beddome|Beddome]], 1862) | synonyms = * ''Trimesurus macrolepis'' Beddome, 1862 * ''Peltopelor macrolepis'' – [[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1864 * ''Trigonocephalus macrolepis'' – Ferguson, 1895 * ''Lachesis macrolepis'' – [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1896 * ''Trimeresurus macrolepis'' – [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M. A. Smith]], 1943<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> * ''Peltopelor macrolepis'' – Malhotra & Thorpe, 2004 * ''Trimeresurus (Peltopelor) macrolepis'' – David et al., 2011<ref>The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.</ref> }}

'''''Craspedocephalus macrolepis''''', [[common name|commonly known]] as the '''large-scaled pit viper''', is a [[venomous snake|venomous]] [[Crotalinae|pitviper]] [[species]] [[Endemism|endemic]] to the Southern [[Western Ghats]] of [[South India]].<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><ref name="Gum04">Gumprecht A, Tillack F, [[Nikolai Liutsianovich Orlov|Orlov NL]], [[Ashok Captain|Captain A]], Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. Geitje Books. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. {{ISBN|3-937975-00-4}}.</ref> No [[subspecies]] are currently recognized.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=634921 |taxon=Trimeresurus macrolepis |accessdate=27 September 2006}}</ref>

[[File:Trimeresurus macrolepis head and tongue.jpg|thumb|Tongue flicking]]

==Geographic range== It is found in the mountains of southern [[Western Ghats]] south of [[Palakkad Gap]], in the Indian states of [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]]. It is a high-elevation specialist, not normally recorded anywhere below 1200 m asl. Precise records are from [[Nelliyampathy]], [[Munnar]], [[Anaimalai]], [[Palni hills]], [[Meghamalai]], [[Periyar Tiger Reserve]], [[Agasthyamalai]] and [[Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]].<ref name="Das2002">Das, Indraneil. 2002. ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India''. Ralph Curtis Books. Sanibel Island, Florida. 144 pp. {{ISBN|0-88359-056-5}}. (''Trimeresurus macrolepis'', p. 66.)</ref> at elevations of 1200-2695 m asl.<ref name="MASmith1943">[[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 macrolepis'', pp. 505-506.)</ref> The [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] is listed as "Anamalai hills ([[Tamil Nadu|Tamil Nadu State]], southwestern India)".<ref name="McD99"/>

==Description== Adults may attain a total length of {{convert|68|cm|in|abbr=on}}, which includes a tail {{convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref>Boulenger. 1896. p. 560.</ref>

Dorsally, ''C. macrolepis'' is bright green, with blackish skin between the scales in some places. There is a yellow or white stripe on each side of the body, which runs along the first dorsal scale row. The upper lips are pale green, and there may be a black streak behind the eye. Ventrally, it is pale greenish.<ref name="MASmith1943"/>

The dorsal scales, which are large, keeled, and overlapping, are arranged in only 12-15 rows at midbody. The dorsal scales in the 10 middle rows are always the largest, and additional rows are made up of smaller scales. An even number of dorsal scale rows is frequently found in this species, even though it is uncommon in snakes in general. Ventrals 133–143; subcaudals divided 44–58.<ref name="MASmith1943"/>

The scales on the top of the head are very large, smooth, and overlapping. There is an elongate subocular, which is separated from the upper labials by a row of a few small scales. There are 7-8 upper labials, of which the 3rd is the largest.<ref name="MASmith1943"/>

==Taxonomy== ''Craspedocephalus macrolepis'' has a long spineless hemipenis without papillae; the hemipenis has a long calyculate region beginning at some distance from the fork of the hemipenis and continuing until the tip. In addition, it has enlarged head scales, somewhat akin to those of ''[[Agkistrodon]]'' species. Based on these characters, and its [[Western Ghats]] distribution, Malhotra and Thorpe (2004) resurrected the genus ''[[Peltopelor]]'' [[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1864 for this species.<ref name="Malhotra&Thorpe2004">{{cite journal| url=http://pages.bangor.ac.uk/~bss024/pdfs/2004/Malhotra%20MPE%202004.pdf |author=Malhotra, Anita |author2=Thorpe, Roger S.| title=A phylogeny of four mitochondrial gene regions suggests a revised taxonomy for Asian pitvipers (Trimeresurus and Ovophis)|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=32| issue=1|year=2004|pages=83–100|access-date=9 June 2013| doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2004.02.008| pmid=15186799|bibcode=2004MolPE..32...83M }}</ref>

==Habitat== ''Craspedocephalus macrolepis'' is a slow-moving, [[arboreal]], [[nocturnal]] snake that prefers [[rainforest]]s, and is also found in [[tea]], [[coffee]] and [[cardamom]] plantations.<ref name="Das2002"/>

==Behavior== It is both [[Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]] and [[arboreal]], using its [[prehensile tail]] to hold onto [[branch]]es. It is an [[ambush]] hunting snake relying on its [[camouflage]] to catch prey.<ref name="MASmith1943"/> The heat-sensing [[loreal pit]]s are used to locate warm-blooded prey.<ref>Cambell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 870 pp., 1500 plates. {{ISBN|0-8014-4141-2}}.</ref>

==Diet== It feeds mainly on [[frog]]s, [[lizard]]s, small [[bird]]s and [[rodent]]s.<ref name="Das2002"/>

==Venom== Presumed to contain [[hemotoxin]], but not that thoroughly studied. Even though [[tea]] pickers are frequently bitten by this species, the bites are seldom fatal.<ref name="Das2002"/>

==Reproduction== ''Craspedocephalus macrolepis'' is [[oviparous]]. Sexually mature females lay [[Egg (biology)|egg]]s in October, in clutches of 4–7.<ref name="Das2002"/>

[[File:Trimeresurus macrolepis head.jpg|thumb|Close up of head]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * [[Richard Henry Beddome|Beddome, R.H.]] 1862. Notes upon the land and freshwater Snakes of the Madras Presidency. Madras Quarterly Journ. Med. Sci., '''5''': 1-31. (''Trimeresurus macrolepis'', p. 2.) * [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger, G.A.]] 1896. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. III., Containing the...Viperidæ''. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I.- XXV. (''Lachesis macrolepis'', p. 560.)

==External links== {{commons category}} * {{NRDB species|genus=Craspedocephalus|species=macrolepis|date=6 December|year=2007}}

[[Category:Craspedocephalus|macrolepis]] [[Category:Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats]] [[Category:Endemic reptiles of India]] [[Category:Snakes of India]] [[Category:Fauna of Kerala]] [[Category:Reptiles of Tamil Nadu]] [[Category:Reptiles described in 1862]]