Kaulback’s Lance-Headed Pit Viper - Protobothrops Kaulbacki

 Kaulback’s Lance Headed Pit Viper is new species of pit viper found from North East India,Currently found at single location at Dafla Hills in Papum Pare District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Kaulback’s pit viper is not a true viper but it is a venomous pit viper species.


KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
SubphylumVertebrata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
SuborderSerpentes
FamilyViperidae
SubfamilyCrotalinae
GenusProtobothrops
Scientific NameProtobothrops  kaulbacki

Scalation:

Head: 
Snout 3 times long than eye diameter; rostral trapeziform, visible from above; internasals large; in contact with each other or separated by 1-2 scales; 2 enlarged scales between internasal and supraocular; upper head scales unequal; smooth; scarcely imbricate; supralabial 8; first completely separated from nasal; second forms anterior border of pit; scales between third supralabial and subocular 1-3; single or no series of scales between supralabials and subocular; supraocular large, flat, usually undivided; 8-10 scales between them; number of scales around the supraocular 9-12; loreal 1, large; postocular 2-3; temporal scales smooth; infralabial 12–14; first in contact with each other; first 2 or 3 in contact with chinshield; 5-6 scales between chinshield and the first ventral.
Dorsal: 
Except outer 1-3 rows other dorsals keeled scales in 23/25:25/27:17/19 rows.
Ventral: 
201-212
Sub Caudal: 
66-78; paired; some of anterior scales may be undivided. Hemipenis with spines.
Morphology:
Total length 134 cm (Male), 141 cm (Female) mm; tail length 22.5 cm (Male), 23 cm (Female).

Habitat

Transition zone between temperate forest and alpine shrub and meadow, open grassland

Venom Fact

Venomous

Reproduction

Oviparous(egg laying)

Clutch Size

6 to 32 eggs

IUCN Conservation Status

Data Deficient

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