Bothrops lutzi, also known commonly as the Cerrado lancehead, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). The species is native to central eastern Brazil.
Geographic range Bothrop lutzi can be found in the Brazilian states of Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Piauí, and Tocantins.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Bothrops lutzi is savanna, at altitudes from sea level to .
Venom Bothrops lutzi has sparked an interest from the scientific community due to its venom, as it is believed to have some therapeutic potential. Scientists have found that the venom carried by B. lutzi has antibacterial and antiparasitic effects, which can help fight against microbial resistance by medical patients, as well as parasitic diseases like Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.
Reproduction Bothrops lutzi is ovoviviparous.
Etymology The specific name, lutzi, is in honor of Adolfo Lutz of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, who collected the type specimen, upon which Miranda-Ribeiro based his new species description. Adolfo Lutz was the father of Brazilian herpetologist Bertha Lutz.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Bothrops lutzi, p. 163).
References
Further reading Amaral A (1923). "New Genera and Species of Snakes". Proceedings of the New England Zoölogical Club 8: 85–105. (Bothrops iglesiasi, new species, pp. 97–99). Miranda Ribeiro [sic] A (1915). "Lachesis lutzi, Uma variedade de L. pictus Tschudi ". Archivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 17 (3): 3–4. (Lachesis lutzi, new species). (in Portuguese).