| Crotalus triseriatus | |
|---|---|
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| Crotalus triseriatus inMorelia Zoo | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Crotalus |
| Species: | C. triseriatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Crotalus triseriatus is avenomouspit viperspecies found inMexico. Twosubspecies are currently recognized, including thenominate subspecies described here.[5]
Adult male specimens ofC. triseriatus commonly grow to a total length (including tail) greater than 60 cm (24 in), with females somewhat smaller. The maximum recorded total length is 68.3 cm (26.9 in).[3]
The speciesC. triseriatus is found inMexico, along the southern edge of theMexican Plateau in the highlands of the Transverse Volcanic Cordillera, including the states ofJalisco,México,Michoacán,Morelos,Nayarit,Puebla,Tlaxcala, andVeracruz. Thetype locality given byWagler in 1830 is "Mexico". A restriction to "Alvarez, San Luis Potosí, Mexico" was proposed byH.M. Smith andTaylor (1950).[2]
Crotalus triseriatus occurs in pine-oak forest,boreal forest,coniferous forest and,bunchgrass grasslands. On Volcán Orizaba, it is found at very high altitudes. There, thesnow line comes down to about 4,572 m (15,000 ft), whilegreen plants can be found up to 4,573 m (15,000 ft): thespecies has been found within this zone. However, it is most common at 2,700 to 3,350 metres (8,860 to 10,990 ft) in elevation.[3]
The speciesC. triseriatus is classified as Least Concern on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because they are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend was stable when assessed in 2007.[1]
Prey reportedly found in stomachs ofC. triseriatus include afrog, amuridrodent (Neotomodon alstoni),lizards, other smallmammals,crickets, andsalamanders.[3]
Bite symptoms fromC. triseriatus are reported to include intense pain, swelling, faintness, and cold perspiration.[3]
| Subspecies[5] | Taxon author[5] | Common name[4] | Geographic range[2][3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. t. armstrongi | Campbell, 1979 | western dusky rattlesnake | Mexico:Jalisco andNayarit |
| C. t. triseriatus | (Wagler, 1830) | dusky rattlesnake | Mexico:Michoacán,Morelos,México,Puebla,Tlaxcala andVeracruz |
Thesubspecific name,armstrongi, is in honor of American herpetologistBarry L. Armstrong.[6]
In the relatively recent past, two additionalsubspecies were described:[3]
