Crotalus intermedius


Crotalus intermedius is a pit viper species found in central and southern Mexico. Like all other pit vipers, it is venomous. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

Description

This species grows to lengths of. Males are somewhat larger than females. Klauber gives a maximum length of, although captive specimens may grow larger.

Distribution and habitat

This snake is found in central and southern Mexico, more specifically in southeastern Hidalgo, southern Tlaxcala, northeastern and south-central Puebla, west-central Veracruz, Oaxaca, and in Guerrero. A type locality was not given in the original paper, but "Mexico" is inferred from the title. Smith and Taylor restricted it to "El Limón, Totalco, Veracruz, Mexico".
Much of the range of this species consists of seasonally dry pine-oak forest, but it has also been found in cloud forest near Omilteme in Guerrero, as well as in the desert near Cacaloapan in Puebla, and Pachuca in Hidalgo. It is found at elevations between 2,000 and 3,200 m.

Conservation status

This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because they are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend was stable when assessed in 2007.

Subspecies