Taiwanese mountain pitviper

Ovophis monticola
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Ovophis
Species:	O. monticola
Binomial name
Ovophis monticola (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms
Parias maculata - Gray, 1853 Trimeresurus monticola - Günther, 1864 Crotalus Trimeres[urus]. monticola - Higgins, 1873 Trimeresurus monticola - Boulenger, 1890 Lachesis monticola - Boulenger, 1896 Trimeresurus monticola monticola - Mell, 1931 Agkistrodon monticola - Pope, 1932 Trimeresurus tonkinensis - Bourret, 1934 (possible nomen nudum) Trimeresurus tonkinensis - Bourret, 1934 T[rimeresurus]. m[onticola]. tonkinensis - Deuve, 1970 Trimeresurus monticola - Saint-Girons, 1972 Ovophis monticola - Burger In Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis monticola monticola - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis tonkinensis - Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Ovophis tonkinensis - Golay et al., 1993 Ovophis monticola monticola - Orlov & Helfenberger, 1997

Ovophis monticola is a venomous pitviper species found in Asia. Currently, five subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Recent taxonomic work suggests that most of these should be considered as separate species.IUCN has already evaluated O. m. makazayazaya as Ovophis makazayazaya.

Total length of males 49 cm (19¼ inches), of females 110 cm (43¼ inches); tail length of males 8 cm (3⅛ inches), of females 15 cm (5⅞ inches).

The head has a short snout, a little more than twice the length of the diameter of the eye. The crown is covered by small scales rather than large shields, while the scales are usually smooth, feebly imbricate. The first upper labial is not fused to the nasal and is completely separated by a suture. The supraoculars are large, 5-9 scales in a line between them. The internasals are usually not in contact with one another, separated by 2 small suprapostrostral scales. There are 7-10 upper labials, the second of which is usually fused to the scale bordering the facial sensory pit anteriorly. The fourth and fifth upper labials are beneath the eye, but separated from orbit by a series of 2-4 small scales.

The body is stout. The dorsal scales are smooth or weakly keeled, in 23-25, occasionally in 19 or 21 longitudinal rows at midbody. Ventral scales and subcaudals (Myanmar, northeastern India and adjacent areas of China and Thailand) 137-176 and 36-62 respectively, subcaudals mixed paired and single, occasionally all unpaired (ventrals and subcaudals for southern China, Vietnam, Laos: 127-144 and 36-54, and Malaysian Peninsula: 133-137 and 22-28 respectively [fide Smith 1943:509]).

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