Cerrophidion

Genus of snakes

Common names: Montane pitvipers. Cerrophidion is a genus of venomous pitvipers which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America, and western Panama.

Species in the genus Cerrophidion grow to a maximum total length (including tail) of (for C. godmani), but usually do not exceed The head scalation is highly variable, with some scales being enlarged, especially in the frontal region. The fact that the prelacunal is not fused with any of the supralabial scales is characteristic for this genus. The rest of the scalation is as follows: 1 7 intersupraoculars, 7 11 supralabials, 8 12 sublabials, 120 150 ventral scales, 22 36 subcaudal scales (undivided), and 17 21 rows (rarely 23) of dorsal scales at midbody.

Cerrophidion species are found in southern Mexico (in the highlands of the Mexican states of Guerrero and southeastern Oaxaca), southward though the highlands of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, northern Nicaragua and Costa Rica) to western Panama.

ImageSpeciesTaxon authorCommon nameGeographic rangeC. godmaniT(Günther, 1863)Godman's montane pitviperSoutheastern Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico, through Central America to western Panama at moderate to high elevations. C. petlalcalensisLópez Luna, Vogt & de la Torre Loranca, 1999Cerro Petlalcala montane pitviperVeracruz in Mexico. C. sasaiJadin, Townsend, Castoe & Campbell, 2012Costa Rica montane pitviperCosta Rica and western Panama. C. tzotzilorum(Campbell, 1985)Tzotzil montane pitviperMeseta Central of Chiapas, Mexico. C. wilsoniJadin, Townsend, Castoe & Campbell, 2012Honduras montane pitviperHonduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. T) Type species.