136 



REPTILIA: SERPENTES: CROTALIDAE 



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LACHESIS 



LACHESIS Daudin 



I8O3 Lachesis Daudin, Hist. Nat. Rept., 5= 3^9- Type-species: Crotalus mutus Linnaeus. 

 Distribution: As for only known species. 

 Content: One species. 



LACHESIS WUTA (Linnaeus) 



1766 [ Crotalus ] mutus Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, Ed. 12: 373. Type-locality: Surinam. 

 180^ Lachesis mutus — Daudin, Hist. Nat. Rept., 5: 351. 



Distribution: Costa Rica and Panama; Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador; equatorial forests east 

 of Andes. 



Content: Three subspecies. 



Key to the subspecies 



1. Ventrals more than 214 in males, 226 in 



females 2 



Ventrals less than 214 in males, 226 in 

 females stenophrys 



2. Large and distinct spots on head; wide 



postocular stripe, not bordered by light 

 stripe above; triangular rostral shield; 

 bright reddish ground color; color of 

 supraoculars contrasts strongly with sur- 

 rounding black spots noct i vaqa 



Small spots on head; narrow black post- 

 ocular bordered with white above; trape- 

 zoidal rostral; greyish ground color; 

 color of supraoculars not strongly con- 

 trasting with surrounding black spots 



muta 



Clave de subespecies 



1. Ventrales mas de 214 en machos, 225 en 



hembras 2 



Ventrales menos de 214 en machos, 226 en 

 hembras stenophrys 



2. Puntos grandes y distintos en la cabeza; 



ancha banda postocular, no bordeada de 

 claro por encima; rostral triangular; 

 color de fondo pojlzo brillante; supra- 

 oculares fuertemente contrastados con 



manchas negras que los rodean noct i vaqa 



Pequei^os puntos sobre la cabeza; angosta 

 banda negra postocular bordeada de bianco 

 por encima; rostral trapezoidal; color de 

 fondo grisaceo; supraoculares no contrast- 

 ados fuertemente por manchas negras que 

 las rodean muta 



Laches i s muta mu ta (Linnaeus) 



1788 Coluber crotalinus Gmelin, Systema Naturae, Ed. I3, 1: IO34. Type-locality: None given. 



1802 Coluber alecto Shaw, General Zoology, Amphibians, 3- 4O5. Type-locality: Ceylon. 



1802 Scytale catena tus LatreiUe, in Sonnini and Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., 3: l62. Type- 

 locality: Surinam. 



1802 Scytale ammodytes Latreille, in Sonnini and Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., 3' 165- Type- 

 locality: Ceylon. 



1824 Bothrops Surucucu Wagler, in Spix, Sp. Nov. Serp. Brasil: 59» pl* 23. Type-locality: 

 Brazil. 



1824 Lachesis rhombeata Wied, Abbild. Nat. Brasil, n+. 5'- pl- 5 ^nd Ja. Type-locality: 

 Brazil. 



I896 Bothrops achrochordus Garcia, Of idios Venenosos del Cauca: 23, pi. 4. Type-locality; 

 None specified; statement of distribution only. 



1551 Laches i s muta muta — Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sc i . Bull., 34: 184. 



Distribution: Equatorial forests of Brazil, Guianas, Venezuela, Trinidad, Bolivia, Peru, 

 Ecuador and Colombia; Pacific slopes of Ecuador and Colombia. 



Laches i s muta noct i vaqa Hoge 



1*^66 Lachesis muta noctivaqa Hoqe. Mem. Inst. Butantan, 32 (1965): 162, pi. 20. Type-locality: 

 Vitoria, Esp'rito Santo, Brazil. 



Distribution: Forests of Atlantic slope in Brazil, from Estado de Alagoas to Estado do Rio 

 de Jane i ro. 



