New Green Pit Vipers in the genus Cryptelytrops


The genus Cryptelytrops contains 13 species of Southeast Asian green pit vipers, Malhotra et al (2011) have now described two more that are similar to Cryptelytrops macrops and have been confused with it. The three species can be distinguished by genetic means, multivariate analysis of morphology and some aspects of coloration. The authors describe Cryptelytrops cardamomensis from southeastern Thailand and the Cardamom Mountains of southwestern Cambodia and Cryptelytrops rubeus from southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. The Large-eyed Pit Viper, C. macrops, is restricted to Thailand, southern and central Laos, and northeastern Cambodia. All three species are present in Cambodia, but have disjunct ranges that corresponding to three separate highland regions in southwestern (Cardamom Mountains), northeastern (western edge of the Kontum Plateau) and eastern (low elevation hills on the western edge of the Langbian Plateau) Cambodia for C. cardamomensis, C. macrops and C. rubeus respectively. However, there is still considerable morphological variation between geographically separated populations of C. macrops and greater sampling in southern and northern Thailand in particular may be required before the species diversity of this group is fully clarified. All of these snakes are often found in vegetation that is near streams.

Citation
Malhotra, A., R. S. Thorpe, Mrinalini and B. L. Stuart. 2011. Two new species of pitviper of the genus Cryptelytrops Cope 1860 (Squamata: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa 2757: 1–23.

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