Trimeresurus puniceus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	REPTILIA	SQUAMATA	VIPERIDAE

Scientific Name:

Trimeresurus puniceus

Species Authority:

(Boie, 1827)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Javanese Pit Viper

Taxonomic Notes:

This species was redescribed by David et al. (2006), who also clarified the original authorship and its identity as the type species of the genus Craspedocephalus, which David et al. (2011) propose as a replacement name for members of the Trimeresurus clade of Malhotra and Thorpe (2004), as they argue that Trimeresurus is instead the name applicable to the Cryptelytrops clade of these authors. In their redescription, David et al. (2006) consider records from Sumatera Berat, Natuna Island and the Mentawai Islands to represent a separate, undescribed form, Trimeresurus cf. puniceus, which is not included within this account

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2012
Assessor/s:	Vogel, G., Iskandar, D., Auliya, M. & Lilley, R.
Reviewer/s:	García, N. & Bauder, J.
Contributor/s:	De Silva, R., Milligan, HT, Wearn, O.R., Wren, S., Zamin, T., Sears, J., Wilson, P., Lewis, S., Lintott, P. & Powney, G.
Justification: This species is widely distributed within the region and not known to be facing major threats within its range, which includes protected areas. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The species is known from Java and the southern part of Sumatra (David et al. 2006) in Indonesia. There is a possible record from Bali pending confirmation (R. Lilley pers. comm. September 2011). It has been recorded from sea level up to 1,450 m. asl.
Countries:	Native: Indonesia (Jawa, Sumatera)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The species appears to be uncommon, although it occurs in high numbers on Tinjil Island, a small island south of West Java.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species is confined to primary and secondary forest, from lowland up to about 1,200 m. asl. As with most pit vipers, it feeds on rodents and small birds. On Tinjil island, it is found to feed on lizards (Sphenomorphus florensis), the only other vertebrate species abundant on the island.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Over-collection for pet trade is a potential threat. On Tinjil Island, it is known to have been impacted by the introduction of the long tailed macaque, Macaca fascicularis. In other areas the main possible threat is habitat conversion due to deforestation, but this is not presently considered significant.

Major Threat(s):

Over-collection for pet trade is a potential threat. On Tinjil Island, it is known to have been impacted by the introduction of the long tailed macaque, Macaca fascicularis. In other areas the main possible threat is habitat conversion due to deforestation, but this is not presently considered significant.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species is known to occur in several conservation areas.

Conservation Actions:

The species is known to occur in several conservation areas.

Citation:	Vogel, G., Iskandar, D., Auliya, M. & Lilley, R. 2012. Trimeresurus puniceus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 May 2013.
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