Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen

Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen is a venomous pit viper subspecies[4] found in the eastern United States.

Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Agkistrodon
Species:
A. contortrix
Subspecies:
A. c. mokasen
Trinomial name
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
Synonyms[1]
  • Agkistrodon mokason
    Palisot de Beauvois, 1799
  • Agkishodon mokasen
    Palisot de Beauvois, 1799
  • Cenchris mokeson Daudin, 1803
  • Scytale mockeson Say, 1819
  • Agkistrodon mokasen – Beyer, 1898
  • Ancistrodon mokasen – Brown, 1908
  • Agkistrodon mokasen mokasen
    – Gloyd & Conant, 1934
  • Agkistrodon mokeson mokeson
    – Gloyd & Conant, 1943
  • Agkistrodon mokeson
    – Davis & Brimley, 1944
  • Agkistrodon contortrix mokeson
    – Klauber, 1948
  • Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
    – Klimstra, 1950
  • Ancistrodon contortrix mokeson
    – Schmidt, 1953
  • Agkistrodon contortrix makasen Bonn & McCarley, 1953
  • Ancistrodon contortrix mokasen
    – Petersen, 1970
  • Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
    – Harding & Welch, 1980
Common names: northern copperhead,[2] copperhead, highland moccasin,[3] more.

Description

The northern copperhead grows to a typical length of 61–91 cm (24–36 in), with a maximum of 135 cm (53 in).[5]

The dorsal scales are weakly keeled. The anal plate is single. The subcaudals are single, at least anteriorly.[5]

The color pattern consists of an hourglass pattern that runs the length of the body. From above, a series of dark chestnut crossbands looks narrow in the center and wider on the sides. Between the crossbands, small, dark spots are often present. Dark, rounded spots occur at the sides of the belly. The head is a copper-red color. Juvenile specimens are lighter in color, and have a yellow tail tip and a narrow dark line that runs through the eye that divides the darker head from the lighter-colored labial scales.[5]

Common names

Northern copperhead,[2] copperhead, resident copperhead, highland moccasin, beech-leaf snake, chunk head, copper (adder), copper-bell, copper belly, copperhead moccasin, copperhead viper, copper snake, copper viper, deaf adder, deaf snake, harlequin snake, hazel head, North American copperhead snake, northern copperhead, pilot, poplar leaf, rattlesnake pilot, rattlesnake's mate, red adder, red eye, red snake, red viper, thunder snake, upland moccasin, white oak snake,[3] adder.[5]

Geographic range

This subspecies is found in the United States in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, East Texas, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, throughout Mississippi,[6] northern Alabama, northern Georgia, northeast to Massachusetts (which considers them endangered), New York Hudson Valley region, the Appalachian Mountain region and associated plateaus, also southwestern Pennsylvania.[2] No type locality was given.[1]

Behavior

These snakes are generally quiet, almost lethargic, preferring to lie motionless or to make a slow retreat when encountered. When sufficiently agitated, however, they can strike vigorously and may vibrate their tails rapidly.[5]

References
  1. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. Gloyd HK, Conant R. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex: A Monographic Review. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 614 pp. 52 plates. LCCN 89-50342. ISBN 0-916984-20-6.
  3. Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.
  4. "Agkistrodon". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
  5. Conant R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Second Edition. First published in 1958. Houghton Mifflin Company Boston. 429 pp. 48 plates. ISBN 0-395-19979-4. ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (pbk.).
  6. "MDWFP - Venomous Snakes of Mississippi". Retrieved 2018-07-16.

Further reading
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