Bhargava1920 at 10:32, 19 April 2026

2026-04-19T10:32:28Z

New page

{{Short description|Species of snake}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Different morphs of Malabar pit viper.jpg
| image_caption= Color morphs of ''Craspedocephalus malabaricus''
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{Cite iucn |author=Srinivasulu, C. |author2=Srinivasulu, B. |author3=Shankar, G. |author4=Thakur, S. |author5=Kulkarni, N.U. |author6=Jose, J. |name-list-style=amp |title='' Craspedocephalus malabaricus'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T172708A1372028 |date=2013 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172708A1372028.en }}</ref>
| genus = Craspedocephalus
| species = malabaricus
| authority = ([[Thomas C. Jerdon|Jerdon]], 1854)
| synonyms =
{{collapsible list |
*''Trigonocephalus'' (''Cophias'') ''malabaricus'' Jerdon, 1854
*''Trigonocephalus'' (''Cophias'') ''wardii'' Jerdon, 1854
*''Trimesurus Malabaricus'' – [[Richard Henry Beddome|Beddome]], 1862
*''Trimesurus Wardii'' – Beddome, 1862
*''Trimeresurus anamallensis'' [[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1864
*''Crotalus Trimeres''[''urus'']. ''anamallensis'' – Higgins, 1873
*''Crotalus Trimeres''[''urus'']. ''Wardii'' – Higgins, 1873
*''B''[''othrops'']. ''anamallensis'' – [[Fritz Müller (doctor)|F. Müller]], 1878
*''Lachesis anamallensis'' – [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1896
*''Lachesis malabaricus'' – [[C. R. Narayan Rao|Rao]], 1917
*''Lachesis coorgensis'' Rao, 1917
*''Trimeresurus (Craspedocephalus) malabaricus'' – David et al., 2011<ref>The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Craspedocephalus''''' '''''malabaricus''''', (formerly ''Trimeresurus malabaricus)'' commonly known as '''Malabar pit viper''', '''Malabar rock pit viper''',<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> or '''rock viper''',<ref name=meh1987/> is a [[venomous snake|venomous]] [[pit viper]] [[species]] [[Endemism|endemic]] to the high-moderate elevations of [[Western Ghats]] of southwestern [[India]]. Recently this species complex was split into three different species: ''C. malabaricus'' (north of Palghat gap), [[Craspedocephalus travancoricus|''C. travancoricus'']] (south of Shengottai gap), and [[Craspedocephalus anamallensis|''C. anamallensis'']] (south of Palghat gap up to north of Shengottai gap).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mallik |first1=Ashok Kumar |last2=Srikanthan |first2=Achyuthan Needamangalam |last3=Ganesh |first3=Sumaithangi Rajagopalan |last4=Vijayakumar |first4=Seenapuram Palaniswamy |last5=Campbell |first5=Patrick D. |last6=Malhotra |first6=Anita |last7=Shanker |first7=Kartik |date=2021-10-06 |title=Resolving pitfalls in pit viper systematics – A multi-criteria approach to species delimitation in pit vipers (Reptilia, Viperidae, Craspedocephalus) of Peninsular India reveals cryptic diversity |url=https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/66239/ |journal=Vertebrate Zoology |volume=71 |pages=577–619 |doi=10.3897/vz.71.e66239 |doi-access=free |issn=2625-8498}}</ref>

==Description==
Adults may attain a snout-vent length (SVL) of {{cvt|105|cm|}}. The tail is [[prehensile]].<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 malabaricus'', p. 66.)</ref>

The weakly keeled [[dorsal scale]]s are arranged in 21 or 19 rows at midbody. [[Ventral scales]] in the males number 143-158 and in females 136-159. [[Anal scale]] entire. [[Subcaudals]] paired and numbering 50-63 in males, 44-54 in females. [[Internasals]] large and usually touching. There are 9 or 10 [[supralabials]], the first completely separated from the nasal. There is a single row of scales between supralabials and elongate [[subocular]]. The [[temporal scales]] are smooth or obliquely keeled.<ref name=Whi04>[[Romulus Whitaker|Whitaker R]], Captain A. 2004. ''Snakes of India, The Field Guide''. Draco books.</ref>

Many different colour morphs are known to exist, including colours such as yellow, green, and brown. Shown here is a brown colour morph with pattern.

{{Gallery
|Malabar pit-viper morphs (head).jpg| Collage of few different morphs
|Malabar pit viper.jpg|Dorsal view
|Trimeresurus Malabaricus.JPG|Brown morph of in ambush position
|Malabarpitviperbrown.jpg|Brown morph
}}

==Distribution and habitat==
The species is endemic to [[Western Ghats]] mountains, occurring along the southern and western [[India]] at {{convert|600|-|2000|m}} elevation. The [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] is the Western Ghats of southwestern [[India]]. Records of this species are from [[Silent Valley National Park|Silent Valley]], western [[Nilgiris]], [[Wayanad]], [[Coorg]], [[Malnad]] region of [[Karnataka]], [[Castle Rock, Karnataka|Castle Rock]], [[Goa]] and northwards into [[Maharashtra]] in the [[Amboli, Sindhudurg|Amboli]] hills and Kolhapur area.<ref name=McD99/> It inhabits riparian forests and is very partial to hill streams and torrents, situated within dense wet [[rainforest]]s, sometimes also [[evergreen]] and [[deciduous]] forests, where it may be found on the ground, on rocks present in [[stream]] beds, on low vegetation, or in [[shrub]]s.<ref name="Das2002"/>{{verify source|date=January 2019}}

==Ecology==
The Malabar pit viper is [[nocturnal]] and usually inactive in the day, sometimes seen basking on rocks or trees near streams. It is more commonly encountered during the [[monsoon]] months. The species preys upon [[frog]]s, [[lizard]]s, nestling [[bird]]s, [[musk shrew]]s, [[mice]] and other small animals.<ref name="Das2002"/>{{verify source|date=January 2019}}

==Venom==
''C. malabaricus'' is slow-moving, but capable of fast strikes. Its [[venom]] causes moderate pain and swelling to humans. These symptoms subside in a day or two.<ref name=Whi04/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<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>
<ref name=meh1987>{{cite book |last1=Mehrtens |first1=John M. |title=Living snakes of the world in color |date=1987 |publisher=Sterling Pub. Co |isbn=978-0-8069-6460-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/livingsnakesofwo00mehr }}</ref>
*{{NRDB species|genus=Trimeresurus|species=malabaricus|date=14 November|year=2007}}
}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
*[[Thomas C. Jerdon|Jerdon, T.C.]] 1854 ["1853"]. Catalogue of Reptiles inhabiting the Peninsula of India. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal '''22''': 522-534.
*[[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 malabaricus'', p. 513.)
{{Refend}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q109232820|from2=Q2477212}}

[[Category:Craspedocephalus|malabaricus]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1854]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats]]
[[Category:Endemic reptiles of India]]
[[Category:Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Tamil Nadu]]

Craspedocephalus malabaricus - Revision history

Bhargava1920 at 10:32, 19 April 2026