$type=slider$snippet=hide$cate=0

Ahaetulla nasuta Amphiesma stolata Argyrogena fasciolata Banded racer Beer Dev Bergenia ciliata Black Headed Royal Snake Blind Snake Blunt-nosed viper Boiga trigonata Brahminy Worm Snake Braid snake Buff Striped KeelBack | Amphiesma stolatum Calotes versicolor Central Asian Cobra Checkered Keelback CheckeredKeelback Chenab Valley Cobra Common Cat Snake Common Krait| Bungarus caeruleus Common Kukri Common Wolf Snake Conflux Cover Letter Tips Cyrtodactylus himalayanus Daboia russelii Dendrelaphis tristis Dhaman || Rescue Duttaphrynus stomaticus Echis carinatus Egret Elaphe hodgsoni Eryx conicus Eryx johnii Families Flowers Flowers. photography Ganges Gloydius himalayanus Green vine snake Hemidactylus brookii Herpetoreas platyceps Himachal Pradesh Himalayan Bent-toed Gecko Himalayan pit viper Himalayan Ratsnake History Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Indian bullfrog Indian marbled toad Indian python Indian Rat Snake Indian Rat Snake || Rescue III Indian Rat Snake || Rescue IInd Indotyphlops braminus Jan's Cliff racer Kailash Kund (Kablas) Kashmir rock agama Khajuraho Khatron Ke Khiladi Laudakia agrorenisis Laudakia tuberculata Leith's sand snake Lycodon aulicus Macrovipera lebetinus Malabar pit viper Malus pumila Manimahesh : The Jewel bearer Mobile photography Monocled cobra Morchella Myna Naja naja Naja oxiana Nature photographs Oligodon arnensis Oligodon arnensis || Rescue Ophiophagus hannah Photography Pit viper Platyceps rhodorachis Poisnous Psammophis leithii Ptyas mucosa Ptyas mucosa | Rescue Ptyas mucosa || Rescue II Python molurus Red Sand Boa Reptile Rhododendron arboreum Russell's viper Saraswati Snake Bite & First Aid Tips Snake Books Snake World Snakes Snakes & Man Spalerosophis atriceps Sparrow Babies Subaar Nag Surkhanda Devi Temple The Quince: Cydonia oblonga Trimeresurus malabaricus Triveni Sangam Tulips Venomous Viburnum grandiflorum Wolf Snake Yamuna

Most Viewed

Kashmir rock agama | Laudakia tuberculata Gray, 1827

Kashmir rock agama | Laudakia tuberculata Gray, 1827   Kashmir rock agama is a species of lizard that belong to family agamidae which i...

Himalayan pit viper | Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864)

Himalayan pit viper |  Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864) Gloydius himalayanus  is commonly known as Himalayan pit viper or West...


Himalayan pit viper Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864)
Gloydius himalayanus is commonly known as Himalayan pit viper or Western Himalayan Pitviper belonging to family Viperidae of a venomous species of pit vipers. It is dispersed and endemic to the Himalayan territory of three nation viz., India (northern), Nepal and Pakistan (northeastern zone). Gloydius himalayanus is the only species under the genus Gloydius, as no subspecies have been documented so far. Besides, it the only pit viper species that has been found in some localities and nations such as in Pakistan and in Kashmir division and high ranges of Jammu division viz., Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, and Ramban.

Gloydius himalayanus (sighted at Doda, Jammu) 

Himalayan pit viper is a mountainous snake who prefer to stay at rocky wooden hill sides nearby water resources, where it live, hide and hibernates in winters (October to April) in potholes and rock crevices depending on the weather conditions of the region. As a highland snake, it has sighted at an altitudinal range of 1500- 4900 m.asl. The species can be sighted basking in bright sunny days in winters. It is a nocturnal and territorial species which generally is very lethargic by nature, try to flee at first on sighting but can attack fiercely on provoking repeatedly. In its territorial range it prefers to take refuge beneath collapsed wood, rock crevices, under boulders, underneath rocks, racks and fallen leaves.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Suborder:
Serpentes
Family:
Viperidae
Genus:
Gloydius
Species:
himalayanus
Binomial name
Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864)

It is medium-sized serpent having clearly distinct & elongated head covered under large proportioned scale shields; along with a distinct heat sensing pit between the eye and nostril on both sides. Eyes are of medium size having vertical pupil. The dorsal side of body is somewhat brownish, gray to dark brown stippled to form an arrangement of transverse bars. Besides, a band of dark black color passes from eye to angle of mouth. The dorsal scales are extremely keeled. On the ventral sides, scales are grayish with whiten outline or whitish with grayish outline having black dots laterally. Tail is very short in these snakes as compared to rest of the body.

Gloydius himalayanus (sighted at Doda, Jammu)
The scalation observed is:  Supra-labial scales 7/7 (light colored having dark mottling) ; infra-labials 9-11/9-11; Supraocular Scales 2; Parietal Scales 2; Prefrontal Scales 2; temporal Scales 2+3; Frontal Scales 1; Dorsal Scales (A-Anterior; M-Midbody; P-Posterior) 21 (A): 23 (M):17 (P); Anal plate undivided; Ventral Scales 147-175 & subcaudal Scales 32-52.

Gloydius himalayanus can attain maximum length of 3.5 ft. overall an average length of the species range between 2.5 ft. to 3 ft.  Below is the average size variation of the serpents observed from Doda region of Jammu & Kashmir, India by Manhas et. al., (2018).

Full body length
570 mm-658 mm
Snout-vent length
480 mm-558 mm
Tail length
90 mm-100 mm

Himalayan Pit Viper fall among the ovoviviparous species of snakes which gives birth to live young’s directly and in its range it prefers to feed on birds, rodents, insects and small reptiles also. This species of snake is mildly venomous and is non-fatal, a bite of this serpent results intense local pain, swelling, blistering, necrosis plus coagulopathy, bleeding and may lead to renal failure. However in some reports it is documented as a non-fatal venomous species whose bite symptoms subsides after some days without treatment. Excessive clinical study needed to be initiated to gather more detailed information on its envenomation symptoms and results.

Gloydius himalayanus (sighted at Doda, Jammu)
There is no potential threat to the species in its range except the unwarranted killings out of fear and loss of habitat which needs to be sorted out by awaring the local masses.

Literature cited:

Agarwal, I., Mistry, V.K. and Atreya, R. 2010. A preliminary checklist of reptiles of Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 17 (2): 81-83.
Boulenger, G.A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London - get paper here
Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum, Vol. 3. London, Taylor & Francis - get paper here
Chaudhuri, A., Mukherjee, S., Chowdhury, S. and Purkayastha, J. 2018. Geographic Distribution: Gloydius himalayanus (Himalayan Pitviper). Herpetological Review, 49 (3): 505 - get paper here
Chowdhary, N. 2010. Diversity and status of Wildlife fauna of district Rajouri (J&K state), PhD thesis submitted to Jammu University (Unpublished).
Daniel, J.C. 1983. “The Book of Indian Reptiles”, Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University press, Mumbai, India.
Daniel, J.C. 2002. “The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians”, Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University press, Mumbai, India.
Das, S.M. (1966). Palearctic elements in the fauna of Kashmir. Nature, 212 (5068): 1320-1330.
Das, S.M., Malhotra Y.R. and Duda, P.L. 1964. The Palaearctic elements in the fauna of Kashmir region. Kashmir Science, 1 (1–2): 100–111.
Duda, P.L. and Sahi, D.N. (1977). An uptodate checklist of herptiles of Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir University Review, 6 (10): 1-7.
Gloydius himalayanus at Wikipedia Retrieved 01 May 2020
Gloydius himalayanus at Wildlife of Pakistan, Accessed 01 May 2020
Günther, A. 1864. “The Reptiles of British India”, Taylor & Francis, London - get paper here
Himalayan Pit Viper at Toxinology.com Retrieved 01 May 2020.
Jamal, Q., Idrees, M., Saif, U., Adnan, M., Zaidi, F., Qaiser, Z. and Rasheed, S.B. 2018. Diversity and Altitudinal Distribution of Squamata in Two Distinct Ecological Zones of Dir, A Himalayan Sub-Zone of Northern Pakistan. Pakistan J. Zool., 50 (5): 1835-1839 - get paper here
Kästle, W., Rai, K. and Schleich, H.H. 2013. FIELD GUIDE to Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal. ARCO-Nepal e.V., pp. 625- get paper here
Khaire, N.K. 2010. “Snakes”, In: Milind, L.P. (Eds.). Jyotsna Prakashan Dhavalgiri, Pune, India
Khaire, N.K. 2015. “Indian Snakes a field guide”, In: Milind, L.P. (Eds.). Jyotsna Prakashan Dhavalgiri, Pune, India
Khan, M.S. 1983. Venomous terrestrial snakes of Pakistan. The Snake, 15 (2): 101-105.
Khan, Q.A. and Khan, S.M. 1996. Snakes of state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Proceedings of. Pakistan Congress of Zoology, 16: 173-182.
Manhas, A. 2017. Role of varying climatic regimes on the Reptilian fauna under temperate and tropical conditions, PhD thesis submitted to Barkatullah University (Unpublished).
Manhas, A., Raina, R. and Wanganeo. A. 2016. An assessment of reptilian diver­sity and their distribution in Jammu and Kashmir state from Jammu City in northern India: A case study. International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies, 3(3): 20–23.

Manhas, A., Raina, R. and Wanganeo. A. 2018. Reptilian Diversity and Distributions in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians, 25 (3): 164–169.
Murthy, T.S.N. and Sharma, B.D. 1976. A contribution to the Herpetology of Jammu and Kashmir. British Journal of Herpetology, 5: 533-538.
Murthy, T.S.N. and Sharma, B.D. 1979. Second report on the herpetofauna of Jammu and Kashmir. The snake, 11: 234-241.
Nanhoe, L.M.R. and Ouboter, P.E. 1987. The distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri region (Nepal). Zoologische Verhandelingen, (240): 1-105 - get paper here
Sahi, D.N. 1979. A contribution to the herpetology of Jammu and Kashmir, Ph.D. Thesis submitted to University of Jammu (Unpublished).
Sahi, D.N. and Duda, P.L. 1985. A checklist and keys to the amphibians and reptiles of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. Bulletin of Chicago Herpetological Society, 20 (3-4): 86-97.
Sahi, D.N. and Duda, P.L. 1986. Affinities and distribution of amphibians and reptiles of Jammu and Kashmir state (India). Bulletin of Chicago Herpetological Society, 21(3-4): 84-88.
Saikia, U., Sharma, D.K. and Sharma, R.M. 2007. Checklist of the Reptilian fauna of Himachal Pradesh, India. Reptile Rap (8): 6-9 - get paper here
Smith, M.A. 1943. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the whole of the Indo-Chinese sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London.
Swan, L.W. and Leviton, A.E. 1962. The herpetology of Nepal: a history, check list, and zoogeographical analysis of the herpetofauna. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 32 (6) (4.s.): 103-147. - get paper here
Wall, F. 1906. “The poisonous snakes of India and how to recognize them”, Part II, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 17: 299-334 - get paper here
Whitaker R. and Captain A. 2004. “Snakes of India”, the Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India reprinted 2007 - get paper here
Whitaker, R. 2006. “Common Indian snakes” a field guide. Macmillan India press, Chennai, (Tamil Nadu), India.
Watch Below

COMMENTS

BLOGGER: 3
  1. Commendable work done sir. I mean the pictures u have clicked are awesome and the article is informative. Keep up the good work👍

    ReplyDelete

[socialcounter]
[facebook][#][2.6K]
[twitter][#][10K]
[youtube][#][28]
[rss][#][100]
[linkedin][#][80]
[instagram][#][400]
Name

Ahaetulla nasuta,1,Amphiesma stolata,1,Argyrogena fasciolata,1,Banded racer,1,Beer Dev,1,Bergenia ciliata,1,Black Headed Royal Snake,1,Blind Snake,1,Blunt-nosed viper,1,Boiga trigonata,1,Brahminy Worm Snake,1,Braid snake,1,Buff Striped KeelBack | Amphiesma stolatum,1,Calotes versicolor,1,Central Asian Cobra,1,Checkered Keelback,1,CheckeredKeelback,1,Chenab Valley,2,Cobra,1,Common Cat Snake,2,Common Krait| Bungarus caeruleus,1,Common Kukri,1,Common Wolf Snake,1,Conflux,1,Cover Letter Tips,1,Cyrtodactylus himalayanus,1,Daboia russelii,1,Dendrelaphis tristis,1,Dhaman || Rescue,1,Duttaphrynus stomaticus,1,Echis carinatus,1,Egret,1,Elachistodon westermanni,1,Elaphe hodgsoni,1,Eryx conicus,1,Eryx johnii,1,Families,1,Flowers,3,Flowers. photography,1,Ganges,1,Gloydius himalayanus,1,Green Keelback Snake,1,Green vine snake,1,Gyps indicus,1,Hemidactylus brookii,1,Herpetoreas platyceps,1,Herpetoreas sieboldii,1,Himachal Pradesh,1,Himalayan Bent-toed Gecko,1,Himalayan pit viper,1,Himalayan Ratsnake,1,History,1,Hoplobatrachus tigerinus,1,Indian bullfrog,1,Indian Egg-Eater,1,Indian marbled toad,1,Indian python,1,Indian Rat Snake,1,Indian Rat Snake || Rescue III,1,Indian Rat Snake || Rescue IInd,1,Indotyphlops braminus,1,Jan's Cliff racer,1,Kailash Kund (Kablas),1,Kashmir rock agama,1,Khajuraho,1,Khatron Ke Khiladi,1,Laudakia agrorenisis,1,Laudakia tuberculata,1,Leith's sand snake,1,Long-Billed Vulture,1,Lycodon aulicus,1,Macrovipera lebetinus,1,Malabar pit viper,1,Malus pumila,1,Manimahesh : The Jewel bearer,1,Mobile photography,2,Monocled cobra,1,Morchella,1,Myna,1,Naja naja,1,Naja oxiana,1,Nature photographs,1,Oligodon arnensis,1,Oligodon arnensis || Rescue,1,Ophiophagus hannah,1,Photography,1,Pit viper,2,Platyceps rhodorachis,1,Poisnous,1,Psammophis leithii,1,Ptyas mucosa,2,Ptyas mucosa | Rescue,1,Ptyas mucosa || Rescue II,1,Python molurus,1,Red Sand Boa,1,Reproduction,1,Reptile,1,Rhabdophis nigrocinctus,1,Rhododendron arboreum,1,Russell's viper,1,Saraswati,1,Siebold's Keelback,1,Snake Bite & First Aid Tips,1,Snake Books,1,Snake World,1,Snakes,2,Snakes & Man,1,Spalerosophis atriceps,1,Sparrow Babies,1,Subaar Nag,1,Surkhanda Devi Temple,1,The Quince: Cydonia oblonga,1,Trimeresurus malabaricus,1,Triveni Sangam,1,Tulips,1,Venomous,1,Viburnum grandiflorum,1,Vulture,1,Wolf Snake,1,Yamuna,1,
ltr
item
PerSonaLife: Himalayan pit viper | Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864)
Himalayan pit viper | Gloydius himalayanus, Günther (1864)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkmfnsZQ_-OJruzxF7Lv3Oydxsw7ajleekZ1LTo4z4490Yvg4-0SmN3jIYGdAiR27PgaBYSs2_HDUmUnJmDYRSZHrYYYZW38XtHQPy1G6SYB0FJOrHKnFb1Sz3sBoL7mHC2OOq8WhUV0/w640-h480/A+3.JPG
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkmfnsZQ_-OJruzxF7Lv3Oydxsw7ajleekZ1LTo4z4490Yvg4-0SmN3jIYGdAiR27PgaBYSs2_HDUmUnJmDYRSZHrYYYZW38XtHQPy1G6SYB0FJOrHKnFb1Sz3sBoL7mHC2OOq8WhUV0/s72-w640-c-h480/A+3.JPG
PerSonaLife
https://www.personalife.org/2020/05/himalayan-pit-viper-gloydius.html
https://www.personalife.org/
https://www.personalife.org/
https://www.personalife.org/2020/05/himalayan-pit-viper-gloydius.html
true
2465216499236944575
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy