Bothrops is a genus of highly venomous pit vipers endemic to the Neotropics.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). The generic name, Bothrops, is derived from the Greek words , , meaning "pit", and , , meaning "eye" or "face", together an allusion to the heat-sensitive loreal pit organs. Members of this genus are responsible for more human deaths in the Americas than any other group of venomous snakes.Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates. 870 pp., 1,500 plates. . Currently, 48 species are recognized.
Description Species in the genus Bothrops range in size from small, never growing to more than , to large at over in total length (tail included). Most are characterized by having a sharp canthus rostralis and an unelevated snout.
The arrangement of the scales on top of the head is extremely variable; the number of interorbital scales may be 3–14, with 7–9 supralabials and 9–11 sublabials. The snake has 21–29 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 139–240 ventral scales, and 30–86 subcaudals, which are generally divided.
Common names Lacépède originally applied the common name "lanceheads" to all snakes in the genus Bothrops, which he considered conspecific. Thus, older writings, as well as popular and sometimes scientific writings (including the American Heritage, Merriam-Webster, and New Shorter Oxford dictionaries), still often call them (French, "spearhead"). However, many scientists and hobbyists now restrict this name to the Martinican species, B. lanceolatus. Other common names include American lanceheads and American lance-headed vipers.United States Navy (1991). Poisonous Snakes of the World. New York: U.S. Government / Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. .
Geographic range Bothrops species are found in northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) southward through Central and South America to Argentina. They also occur on the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique in the Lesser Antilles, as well as one species on Ilha da Queimada Grande off the coast of Brazil. B. atrox is also found on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean off the eastern coast of Venezuela.
Behavior
Most species of Bothrops are nocturnal, although a few found at higher altitudes are active during the day. Otherwise, they may be seen on cloudy days or during periods of rain. Most are terrestrial, though all are capable of climbing. One species, B. insularis, which is endemic to Ilha da Queimada Grande, is considered to be semiarboreal. This species, unlike most Bothrops, preys primarily on birds, due to the absence of native mammal species on Queimada Grande. This feeding habit probably accounts for their more arboreal lifestyle compared with their mainland cogenerics. Many species of Bothrops exhibit tail vibration behavior when disturbed.Allf, Bradley C.; Durst, Paul A.P.; Pfennig, David W. (2016). "Behavioral Plasticity and the Origins of Novelty: The Evolution of the Rattlesnake Rattle". American Naturalist 188 (4): 475–483.
Venom Members of the genus Bothrops are responsible for more fatalities in the Americas than any other group of venomous snakes. In this regard, the most important species are B. asper, B. atrox, and B. jararaca. Without treatment, the fatality rate is estimated to be about 7.0%, but with treatment, this is reduced to 0.5–3.0%.
Typical symptoms of bothropic envenomation include immediate burning pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, massive swelling of the bitten extremity, hemorrhagic blebs, local necrosis, bleeding from the nose and gums, ecchymosis, erythemia, hypotension, tachycardia, coagulopathy with hypofibrinogenemia and thrombocytopenia, hematemesis, melena, epistaxis, hematuria, intracerebral hemorrhage, and kidney failure, secondary to hypotension and bilateral cortical necrosis. Usually, some discoloration is seen around the bite site, and rashes may develop on the torso or the extremities.
In general, death results from hypotension secondary to blood loss, kidney failure, and intracranial hemorrhage. Common complications include necrosis and kidney failure secondary to shock and the toxic effects of the venom.
Species ImageSpeciesSubsp.*Common nameGeographic rangeB. alcatraz 0Alcatrazes lanceheadAlcatrazes Island, São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil.B. alternatus 0Urutu, yarará, víbora de la cruzSoutheastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina (in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Córdoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Ríos, Formosa, La Pampa, Misiones, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.B. ammodytoides 0Patagonian lanceheadArgentina in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Córdoba, Chubut, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuquén, Río Negro, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz and TucumánB. asper 0terciopelo (preferred), Fer-de-lance (commonly used, but incorrect)Atlantic lowlands of eastern Mexico and Central America, including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, a disjunct population occurs in southeastern Chiapas (Mexico) and southwestern Guatemala, northern South America in Colombia and Ecuador West of the Andes, westernmost Venezuela, and Tumbes, Peru.B. atrox 0Common lanceheadTropical lowlands of South America east of the Andes, including southeastern Colombia, southern and eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia and the northern half of BrazilB. ayerbei 0Patian lancehead, Ayerbe's lanceheadCauca, ColombiaB. barnetti 0Barnett's lanceheadAlong the Pacific coast of northern Peru at low elevations in arid, tropical scrubB. bilineatus 1Two-striped forest-pitviperAmazon region of South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. An isolated population is known from the Atlantic versant of southeastern Brazil.B. brazili 0Brazil's lanceheadEquatorial forests of eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, Brazil and northern BoliviaB. caribbaeus 0Saint Lucia lanceheadSt. Lucia, Lesser Antilles, apparently restricted to the low elevation periphery of all but the southern third and extreme northern tip of the islandB. chloromelas 0Inca forest-pitvipercentral Andes of PeruB. cotiara 0CotiaraAraucaria forests of southern Brazil in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, northeastern Argentina in Misiones ProvinceB. diporus 0Painted LanceheadArgentina, Brazil, Paraguay, BoliviaB. erythromelas 0Caatinga lanceheadNortheastern Brazil in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, extreme eastern Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and SergipeB. fonsecai 0Fonseca's lanceheadSoutheastern Brazil in the states of northeastern São Paulo, southern Rio de Jeneiro and extreme southern Minas GeraisB. germanoi 0Moela's lanceheadIlha da Moela, BrazilB. insularis 0Golden lanceheadQueimada Grande Island, São Paulo State, BrazilB. itapetiningae 0São Paulo lanceheadSoutheastern Brazil in the states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, and on the Paraná PlateauB. jabrensis 0Jabre's lanceheadParaíba, BrazilB. jararaca 0JararacaSouthern Brazil, northeastern Paraguay and northern Argentina (Misiones)B. jararacussu 0JararacussuEastern Brazil (from Bahia to Santa Catarina), Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia and northeastern Argentina (Misiones Province)B. jonathani 0Jonathan's lancehead, Cochabamba lanceheadThe Altiplano of central Bolivia in the departments of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija, and in northwestern Argentina in the departments of Jujuy and Salta, occurring at elevations of 2000–3500 m in dry, rocky grasslandB. lanceolatusT 0Fer-de-lance, Martinique lanceheadMartinique, Lesser AntillesB. leucurus 0Whitetail lancehead, Bahia lanceheadEastern Brazil along the Atlantic coast from northern Espírito Santo north to Alagoas and Ceará, occurs more inland in several parts of Bahia, uncertain identity of disjunct populations west of the Rio São FranciscoB. lutzi 0Cerrado lanceheadNortheastern Brazil in northern Piaui stateB. marajoensis 0Marajó lanceheadNorthern Brazil in the coastal lowlands of the Amazon DeltaB. marmoratus 0Marbled lancehead Goiás, BrazilB. mattogrossensis 0Mato Grosso lanceheadBrazil, Bolivia, Argentina, PeruB. medusa 0Venezuelan forest-pitviperVenezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa (coastal range), the Federal District and the states of Aragua, Bolívar and Carabobo.B. monsignifer 0Eastern slopes of the Andes of Bolivia and southern PeruB. moojeni 0Brazilian lanceheadCentral and southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina (Misiones) and likely eastern BoliviaB. muriciensis 0Mata de Murici, Alagoas state, Northeastern BrazilB. neuwiedi 6Neuwied's lanceheadSouth America east of the Andes and south of 5°S, including Brazil (southern Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso, an isolated population in Amazonas, Rondônia and all southern states), Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina (Catamarca, Córdoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán) and UruguayB. oligobalius 0Amazonian forests of southern Colombia, southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil north of the Amazon/SolimõesB. oligolepis 0Peruvian forest-pitviperEastern slopes of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia.B. osbornei 0Western Ecuador, Northwestern PeruB. otavioi 0Vitória Island, São Paulo, BrazilB. pauloensis 0Brazil, Paraguay, BoliviaB. pictus 0Desert lanceheadPeru on the hills of the Pacific coastal region and versant up to about 1800 m elevationB. pirajai 0Piraja's lanceheadBrazil in central and southern Bahia state and possibly also Minas GeraisB. pubescens 0Brazil, UruguayB. pulcher 0Andean forest-pitviperEastern slopes of the Andes from south-central Colombia to southern Ecuador.B. punctatus 0Chocoan lanceheadFrom the Darién of Panama along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador.B. sanctaecrucis 0Bolivian lanceheadBolivia in the Amazonian lowlands from the departments of El Beni to Santa CruzB. sazimai 0Franceses Island lanceheadIlha dos Franceses, Espírito Santo, Brazil B. sonene 0Madre de Dios, Peru B. taeniatus 1Speckled forest-pitviperWidespread in the equatorial forests of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.B. venezuelensis 0Venezuelan lanceheadNorthern and central Venezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa (coast range) and the states of Aragua, Carabobo, the Federal District, Miranda, Mérida, Trujillo, Lara, Falcón, Yaracuy and Sucre, and Colombia (Norte de Santander and Boyacá departments
* Not including the nominate subspecies. T Type species
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