Lansberg's hognosed pitviper

Description

Porthidium lansbergii is a species of venomous snake, a pitviper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Central and South America. Four subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. The specific name, lansbergii, is in honor of "M. de Lansberge" (Reinhart Frans von Lansberge), Dutch consul at Caracas, Venezuela, in 1841.Adults of P. lansbergii average 30–50 cm (11+3⁄4–19+5⁄8 in) in total length (including tail), with a maximum of 90 cm (35+1⁄2 in). A terrestrial snake, it is moderately slender. Porthidium lansbergii is found in extreme eastern Central America in the xeric coastal lowlands of central and eastern Panama, in northern South America in the Atlantic lowlands of Colombia and northern Venezuela, as well as in the Pacific lowlands of Ecuador. The type locality given is "les environs de Turbaco, en Colombie ". According to Amaral (1929), the holotype is likely from Tumaco. According to the range map provided by Campbell & Lamar (2004), the subspecies P. l. rozei and P. l. lansbergii intergrade in the northern part of the Guajira Peninsula.