In our study site, herpetologists of our Research Unit, led by Mark-Oliver Rödel’s group at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, discovered an individual of a Toad-Headed Pitviper Bothrocophias that was unknown to occur in the lowland Chocó rainforest in Ecuador. Not only its location, but also its taxonomic identity was puzzling – and remains unresolved. The 70 cm long pitviper was measured and released, but seveal characteristics from the photos later showed that the species cannot unambiguously be assigned to either B. campbelli or B. myersi. Whether the specimen represents a hybrid or an undescribed species is thus currently unknown. To stimulate further research on these pitvipers, the study was published with all the details of the snake’s characteristics, location and photos in the journal Herpetology Notes:
The new Bothrocophias pitviper found in the Tesoro reserve. Foto by Mark-Oliver Rödel.