Brazil’s Lancehead (Bothrops brazili)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Serpentes | Viperidae | Bothrops brazili

English common names: Brazil’s Lancehead, Velvety Lancehead.

Spanish common names: Equis mariposa (Ecuador); rabo de ratón (Colombia); jergón shushupe (Peru); Mapanare (Venezuela).

Recognition: ♂♂ 94.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. ♀♀ 149.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail.. In Amazonian Ecuador, the Brazil’s Lancehead (Bothrops brazili) can be identified from other snakes by having the following combination of features: a triangular-shaped head with a snout that is not upturned, low keels (longitudinal ridges) on the dorsal scales, heat-sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils, a pinkish iris, and a contrasting dorsal pattern consisting of 16–20 dark brown triangular bands on the body plus several smaller blotches on the tail.^1,2 The most similar viper that may be found living alongside B. brazili in Ecuador is B. atrox, which has a brownish iris, a broad and well-defined postocular stripe (thin and ill-defined in B. brazili), and faint, rather than contrasting, dorsal blotches. The toad-headed pitvipers (genus Bothrocophias) have an upturned snout and comparatively much smaller eyes. The Amazonian Bushmaster (Lachesis muta) differs from B. brazili by having prominent knoblike keels on the dorsal scales, which give the snake a “pineapple texture.”^2,3

Figure showing an adult male of Bothrops brazili

Figure 1: Adult male of Brazil’s Lancehead (Bothrops brazili) from Macuma, Morona Santiago province, Ecuador.

Natural history: UncommonUnlikely to be seen more than once every few months.. Bothrops brazili is a terrestrial snake that inhabits evergreen lowland forests (rainforests), forest borders, and savannas.⁴ It also occurs in human-modified environments such as cassava plantations.² The species generally requires more pristine habitats that the co-occurring Common Lancehead (B. atrox).⁵ Velvety Lanceheads are typically nocturnal, although juveniles have also been seen active during the daytime.^2,6 They spend most of their time coiled on the forest floor, either among leaf-litter or at the base of trees and buttresses.^6,7 They are also occasionally seen moving among shrubby vegetation or perched on leaves less than 1.5 m above the ground at night.⁸

Brazil’s Lanceheads are ambush predators.² Their diet includes mostly (44.1%) mammals such as rodents and mouse opossums,² but also frogs (23.5%), centipedes (23.5%), and lizards (14.7%) such as Alopoglossus atriventris.^6–9 The diet of Bothrops brazili seems to shift from being based primarily on ectothermic (“cold-blooded”) prey as juveniles to based mostly on endothermic (“warm-blooded”) animals as adults.⁹ These vipers rely on their camouflage as a primary defense mechanism.² When threatened, some individuals flee or hide into the leaf-litter by means of undulatory body motions,¹⁰ others vigorously wiggle their tail against the substrate, and others just readily bite if attacked or harassed.⁶

Bothrops brazili is a venomous snake (LD50The median lethal dose (LD50) is a measure of venom strength. It is the minium dosage of venom that will lead to the deaths of 50% of the tested population. 0.8–7.8 mg/kg)^11,12 that injects an average of 3–4 ml of venom per bite.¹³ This species is responsible for 1–41.5% of snakebites in some areas of its range.^14,15 In humans, its venom typically causes pain, swelling, intense bleeding, moderate defibrination (depletion of the blood’s coagulation factors), and severe necrosis (death of tissues and cells).^{11,12,16–18} In poorly managed or untreated cases, the venom can cause intracranial hemorrhage, permanent complications, and presumably also death.¹⁶ Fortunately, the antivenom available in Ecuador can, to a degree, neutralize the venom of B. brazili.¹¹

What to do if you are bitten by a Brazil’s Lancehead?

Remain calm.
Remove rings and tight fitting clothes to avoid swelling.
Reduce movement of bitten extremity to reduce absorption of venom.
Avoid the application of tourniquets, electric shocks, traditional medicine, venom suction, and incision of the bite wound.
Plan immediate evacuation to a medical facility that has antivenom and avoid any action that may delay transportation.
At the medical facility, personnel can initiate treatment with the appropriate antivenom, monitor vital signs, and perform laboratory tests.

Females of Bothrops brazili “give birth” (the eggs hatch within the mother) to 9–30 young that measure 29.7–40 cm in total length.^2,19 Under human care, individuals can live up to ~12 years,² and probably much longer.

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..²⁰ Bothrops brazili is listed in this category because the species is widely distributed throughout the Amazon basin, a region that retains most of its original forest cover. Therefore, the species is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats. In Ecuador, it is estimated that ~94.8% of the distribution range of B. brazili is still forested.²¹

Distribution: Bothrops brazili is widespread throughout the southern portion of the Amazon rainforest, occurring in Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), and Perú.

Figure 2: Distribution of Bothrops brazili in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.

Etymology: The generic name Bothrops, which is derived from the Greek word bothros (meaning “pit”),²³ refers to the heat-sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils. The specific epithet brazili honors Brazilian physician and herpetologist Vital Brazil (1865–1950), founder and former director of the Butantan Institute in São Paulo.¹

See it in the wild: In Ecuador, Velvety Lanceheads are recorded rarely, usually no more than once every few months at any given locality. However, there are some areas, like around the town of Macuma and at Shiripuno lodge, where individuals are seen more frequently. The snakes may be located by walking along trails at night.

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Darwin Núñez and José Manuel Falcón for providing locality data for Bothrops brazili. Thanks to María Elena Barragán (Vivarium Quito) for providing photographic access to live specimens under her care.

Special thanks to Tim Paine for symbolically adopting the Brazil’s Lancehead and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.

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Author: Alejandro Arteaga^aAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

Academic reviewer: Jorge Valencia^bAffiliation: Fundación Herpetológica Gustavo Orcés (FHGO), Quito, Ecuador.

Photographer: Jose Vieira^aAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,^cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.

How to cite? Arteaga A (2020) Brazil’s Lancehead (Bothrops brazili). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/WTYJ6190

Literature cited:

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França FGR, Mesquita DO, Colli GR (2006) A checklist of snakes from Amazonian savannas in Brazil, housed in the Coleção Herpetológica da Universidade de Brasília, with new distribution records. Occasional Papers of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 17: 1–13.
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Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Bothrops brazili in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.

Country	Province	Locality	Source
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	10 de Agosto	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Achuentz	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Amazonas	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Centro Shuar Kenkuim	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Centro Shuar Kiim	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Cerro Shaime	Photo by Freddy Velásquez
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Chuwints	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Cusuime	AMNH 107655
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Ladera oriental de Cutucú	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Makuma	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Mamayak	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Mutintz	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Paantim	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Patuca	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Puerto Morona	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Santiago	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Sawastian	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Taisha	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Tiwintza	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Watsakentsa	Jose Manuel Falcón, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Yawints	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Napo	Gareno Lodge	This work
Ecuador	Napo	Huaorani Lodge	Photo by Etienne Littlefair
Ecuador	Orellana	130 km de Tiguino	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Orellana	Shiripuno Lodge	Shiripuno Lodge
Ecuador	Pastaza	Juyuintza	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Kapawi Lodge	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pastaza	Killu Allpa	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Kurintza	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Lorocachi	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Mangourco (Manga Urco)	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Mashient	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Bufeo	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Corrientes	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Tigre	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Pastaza	Shuin Mamus	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pastaza	Uyuimi	Darwin Núñez, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Pastaza	Yuntzuntza	Valencia et al. 2016
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Bombuscaro entrance to PNP	Cisneros-Heredia 2004
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	El Limón	Darwin Núñez, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Zamora Chinchipe	Shaime	Darwin Núñez, pers. comm.
Perú	Amazonas	Alto Yutupis	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Caterpiza	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Kagka	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Kubaim	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	La Poza	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Mouth of Kagka river	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Río Cenepa	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Shiwan Entsa	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Amazonas	Vicinity of Aintam	Nogueira et al. 2019
Perú	Loreto	Pongo Chinim	FMNH 2012
Perú	Loreto	Quebrada Yanayacu	Rengifo & Pérez 2013