File:Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori mocassin mexicain 3.jpg|Close up view of a female ''Agkistrodon taylori''
File:Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori mocassin mexicain 3.jpg|Close up view of a female ''Agkistrodon taylori''
File:Agkistrodon taylori, Taylor’s Cantil, Tamaulipas.jpg|Taylor’s Cantil (''Agkistrodon taylori'') photographed in the field in southern, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 October 2004)
File:Agkistrodon taylori, Taylor’s Cantil, Tamaulipas.jpg|Taylor's Cantil (''Agkistrodon taylori'') photographed in the field in southern, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 October 2004)
Adults of A. taylori usually attain a total length (including tail) of 64–90 cm (25+1⁄4–35+3⁄8in), with some growing to 96 cm (37+3⁄4in). The species has a heavy body and a relatively long tail: 16-19% of total body length in males and 13-18% in females.[6]
Distribution
The distribution of Taylor's Cantil (Agkistrodon taylori): circle = type locality of A. taylori; square = type locality of A. bilineatus lemosespinali
Agkistrodon taylori is endemictoMexico. It occurs primarily in southern Tamaulipas,[7] with one record near the coast as far north as Carboneras.[8] Elevations typically range from near sea level to about 500 m., with a maximum elevation of 919 m. in San Luis Potosi.[9]: 101 p. The type locality is "21 km north of Villagrán, Tamaulipas, Mexico".[10] It has been speculated that A. taylori occurs in the Sierra de San Carlos, based on the local inhabitants identifying photographs[7], however no confirmed records from the mountain range are available.[8]
The southernmost record is a single specimen from near Palma Sola, Veracruz, that was first described as a subspecies, Agkistrodon bilineatus lemosespinali,[13] however more recent accounts considered the defining characters of A. b. lemosespinali fell within the normal range of A. taylor.[6]: 266 p.
A. taylori is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCNRed List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).[1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is unknown. Year assessed: 2007.[14]
Feeding
A. taylori feeds primarily on rodents and amphibians. Juveniles are known to employ the yellowish tip of their tail as a lure to attract small insectivorous vertebrates. The yellowish tip fades as the animals mature, as does this behavior.
Because of its attractive coloration and relatively small size, examples of A. taylori are somewhat popular in the exotic pet trade, with captive bred individuals occasionally being available. The care requirements are fairly basic, similar to A. contortrix. This species of snake is, however, not for the inexperienced keeper. The venom of A. taylori is significantly stronger than that of A. contortrix and can cause severe tissue damage and even death if untreated. Dry bites are seldom reported, and A. taylori may strike repeatedly.
Gallery
A juvenile Taylor's Cantil (Agkistrodon taylori)
A female Agkistrodon taylori
Close up view of a female Agkistrodon taylori
Taylor's Cantil (Agkistrodon taylori) photographed in the field in southern, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 October 2004)
^ ab"Agkistrodon taylori ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^Liner, E. A. and G. Casas-Andreu. 2008. Standard Spanish, English and scientific names of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico. Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 38: i-iv, 1-162. (pages 95-96)
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. (Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori, p. 261).
^ abCampbell, J. A. and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Vol. I & II. Comstock Publishing. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. xviii, 870 pp.
^ abcBurchfield, Patrick M. 1982. Additions to the Natural History of the Crotaline Snake Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori. Journal of Herpetology.Vol. 16, No. 4: 376-382.
^ abFarr, William L., David Lazcano and Pablo A. Lavin-Murcio. 2013. New Distributional Records for Amphibians and Reptiles from the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico III. Herpetological Review 44(4): 631-645
^ abGloyd, H. K. and R. Conant. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex, A Monographic Review. Contributions to Herpetology, Number 6. Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. vi, 614 pp.
^Burger, W. Leslie and William B. Robertson. 1951. A New Subspecies of the Mexican Moccasin, Agkistrodon bilineatus. The University of Kansas Science Bulletin. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History. 34(5): 213-218.
^Tovar-Tovar, Hector and Fernando Mendoza-Quijano. 2001. Agkistrodon taylori. .Herpetological Review. Vol. 32, No. 4: 276-277.
^Bryson, Jr., Robert W. and Fernando Mendoza-Quijano. 2007. Cantils of Hidalgo and Veracruz, Mexico, with Comments on the Validity of Agkistrodon bilineatus lemosespinali. Journal of Herpetology.41(3): 536-539.
^Smith, Hobart M. and David Chiszar. 2001. A New Subspecies of Cantil (Agkistrodon bilineatus) from Central Veracruz, Mexico (Reptilia: Serpentes). Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society. Vol. 37, No. 4: 130-136.
Burger WL, Robertson WB (1951). "A New Subspecies of the Mexican Moccasin, Agkistrodon bilineatus ". University of Kansas Science Bulletin34 (1): 213-218. (Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori, new subspecies).
Parkinson CL, Zamudio KR, Greene HW (2000). "Phylogeography of the pitviper clade Agkistrodon: historical ecology, species status, and conservation of the cantils". Molecular Ecology9: 411-420.
