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Gloydius blomhoffii

Gloydius blomhoffii

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genus:	Gloydius
Species:	G. blomhoffii

Binomial name

Gloydius blomhoffii
(Boie, 1826)

Synonyms

Trigonocephalus Blomhoffii - H. Boie, 1826
Trigonocephalus [(Halys)] affnis - Gray, 1849
Trigonocephalus [(Halys)] Blomhoffii - Gray, 1849
T[rigonocephalus]. Blomhoffii var. megaspilus - Cope, 1860
Halys blomhoffii - Peters, 1862
T[rigonocephalus]. blomhoffii - Jan, 1963
Ancistrodon blomhoffii - Boulenger, 1896
Agkistrodon blomhoffii ? affinis - Stejneger, 1907
Ancistrodon halys blomhoffii - Nikolsky, 1916
Agkistrodon blomhoffii blomhoffii - Sternfeld, 1916
A[ncistrodon]. blomhoffii blomhoffii - Werner, 1922
Agkistrodon blomhoffii affinis - Werner, 1922
Ankistrodon halys blomhoffii - Pavloff, 1926
Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii - Mell, 1929
Agkistrodon halys affinis - Mell, 1929
Gloydius blomhoffi blomhoffi - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981
Agkistrodon affinis - Gloyd & Conant, 1990^[1]

Common names: mamushi,^[2] Japanese mamushi.^[3]

Gloydius blomhoffii is a venomous pitviper species found in China, Korea and Japan. Four subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.^[4]

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Description

This species grows to a length of up to 91 cm, although the average length is 45-61 cm.^[2]

The color pattern consists of a pale gray, reddish-brown or yellow-brown ground color, overlaid with a series of irregularly shaped lateral blotches. These blotches are bordered with black and often have lighter centers. The head is dark brown or black in color with beige or pale gray sides.^[2]

Common names

Mamushi,^[2] Japanese mamushi.^[3] In Japan it is commonly called the Japanese mamushi (にほんマムシ, nihon mamushi^?), or just mamushi (マムシ, mamushi^?).

Geographic range

Found in China, Korea and Japan. According to Gloyd and Conant (1990), there is no evidence to support claims that this species occurs in the Ryukyu Islands. The type locality given is "Japan."^[1]

Habitat

Occurs in a range of habitats, including swamps, marshes, meadows, open woodland, rocky hillsides and montane rock outcroppings.^[2]

Feeding

They hunt for birds and small rodents. Often found in and around farmland due to the associated rodent populations.^[2]

Subspecies

Subspecies^[4]	Authority^[4]	Common name^[5]	Geographic range^[2]
G. b. blomhoffii	(Boie, 1826)	Japanese mamushi	Japan, including most of the smaller islands.
G. b. brevicaudus	(Stejneger, 1907)	Short-tailed mamushi	China (Manchuria) and the Korean Peninsula.
G. b. dubitatus	(Gloyd, 1977)	Tung Ling mamushi	Restricted to Hebei Province, China.
G. b. siniticus	(Gloyd, 1977)	Yangtze mamushi	Type locality: China, from Shandong, Jiang Su and Anhui provinces, south to the Ch'ang Chiang Basin and eastern Sichuan, Jiangxi and Hunan.

Taxonomy

Gloyd and Conant (1990) recognized five subspecies: the four mentioned in the table above, plus A. b. ussuriensis, which is found in Russia. However, Toriba (1986) elevated this fifth form to a species: Gloydius ussuriensis.^[1]^[2]

This species is similar the cottonmouths and copperheads (Agkistrodon sp.) of the Americas and was long considered part of the same group (see synonymy).^[1]

Trivia

In the anime series Prince of Tennis, the Seigaku player Kaoru Kaidoh is nicknamed mamushi by his rival and teammate Takeshi Momoshiro (and occasionally, Akira Kamio from Fudomine), since he usually hisses like a snake when he exhales deeply.
In Koei's Warriors Orochi Mamushi is the name of one of Orochi's generals.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
^ ^a ^b Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. Asian Pitvipers. GeitjeBooks Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. ISBN 3-937975-00-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gloydius blomhoffii (TSN 634884). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 19 May 2007.
^ 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.