Ovophis zayuensis
| Ovophis zayuensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Ovophis |
| Species: | O. zayuensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ovophis zayuensis Jiang, 1977 | |
Ovophis zayuensis, or the Zayuan mountain pitviper, is a species of mountain pit viper endemic to China and India.[1][2][3][4] As with all pitvipers, O. zayuensis is venomous.[5] Originally, the snake was considered a subspecies of O. monticola, before being elevated to species level in 1995.[6]
Description
Ovophis zayuensis is a stout snake with a triangular head. Its ventral side is a plain pale yellow with no markings. The body displays black blotches which are progressively darker the further towards the tail they are.[7]
The snake can be distinguished from similar species via its scale morphology.[7]
Habitat
The Zayuen mountain pitviper is known to prefer elevations of 1280-2100 m.[5]
Reproduction
References
- ↑ Qiu, Xian-Chun; Wang, Jin-Ze; Xia, Zu-Yao; Jiang, Zhong-Wen; Zeng, Yan; Wang, Nan; Li, Pi-Peng; Shi, Jing-Song (2024). "A new mountain pitviper of the genus Ovophis Burger in Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 (Serpentes, Viperidae) from Yunnan, China". ZooKeys (1203): 173–187. Bibcode:2024ZooK.1203..173Q. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1203.119218. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 11161677. PMID 38855786.
- ↑ Basfore, Bijay; Kalita, Manab Jyoti; Sharma, Narayan; Boro, Ananda Ram (2024-11-26). "An updated checklist of snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) in northeastern India derived from a review of recent literature". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 16 (11): 26131–26149. doi:10.11609/jott.8741.16.11.26131-26149. ISSN 0974-7907.
- ↑ Wang, Kai; Lyu, Zhitong; Wang, Jian; Qi, Shuo; Che, Jing (2022). "The updated checklist and zoogeographic division of the reptilian fauna of Yunnan Province, China". Biodiversity Science. 30 (4) 21326. doi:10.17520/biods.2021326. ISSN 1005-0094. Archived from the original on 2025-12-12.
- ↑ Zeng, Yang-Mei; Li, Ke; Liu, Qin; Wu, Ya-Yong; Hou, Shao-Bing; Zhao, Gui-Gang; Nguyen, Sang Ngoc; Guo, Peng; Shi, Lei (2023). "New insights into the phylogeny and evolution of Chinese Ovophis (Serpentes, Viperidae): Inferred from multilocus data". Zoologica Scripta. 52 (4): 358–369. doi:10.1111/zsc.12589. ISSN 0300-3256.
- 1 2 3 "Ovophis zayuensis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ↑ David, Patrick; Tong, Haiyan (1997). "Translations of recent descriptions of Chinese pitvipers of the Trimeresurus-complex (serpentes, viperidae), with a key to the complex in China and adjacent areas". Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. hdl:10088/8231. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- 1 2 Gerard, Jason Dominic; Boruah, Bitupan; Deepak, V.; Das, Abhijit (2024-06-26). "First record of two species of venomous snakes Bungarus suzhenae and Ovophis zayuensis (Serpentes: Elapidae, Viperidae) from India". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 16 (6): 25385–25399. doi:10.11609/jott.8935.16.6.25385-25399. ISSN 0974-7907.