Protobothrops jerdonii (Günther, 1875)

Male Size

Male Protobothrops jerdonii reach a maximum total length of 835 mm (32.9 in), with a tail length of up to 140 mm (5.5 in).

Female Size

Females of this species grow to a maximum total length of 990 mm (39 in), with a tail length of up to 160 mm (6.3 in).

Dorsal Scalation

In terms of scalation, this species has 21 longitudinal rows of dorsal scales at midbody, with 23 rows occurring rarely.

Snout Proportion

The length of the snout is slightly more than twice the diameter of the eye.

Head Scales

The top of the head is covered in small, unequal, smooth scales that are weakly overlapping or positioned side by side, with the exception of the large internasal and supraocular scales.

Upper Labial Scale

The first upper labial scale is fully separated from the nasal scale by a suture.

Internasal Scale Arrangement

The internasals are separated by 1 to 2 small scales.

Supraocular Scales

There are 6 to 9 small scales in a line between the two supraoculars.

Upper Labial Count

This species has 7 to 8 upper labials; the third and fourth are positioned under the eye, and are either in contact with the subocular, or separated by no more than a single row of small scales.

Ventral Scale Count

Male P. jerdonii have 164 to 188 ventral scales, while females have 167 to 193.

Subcaudal Scale Count

Male P. jerdonii have 50 to 78 subcaudal scales, and females have 44 to 76.

Geographic Range

Protobothrops jerdonii has a geographic range that extends from northeastern India and Nepal, through northern Burma, to southwestern China and Vietnam.

Type Locality

The type locality given by the original describer Günther is "Khassya", which corresponds to the Khasi Hills in India.

Habitat and Altitude

The preferred natural habitats of P. jerdonii are forest, shrubland, and grassland, found at altitudes between 1,400 m and 2,300 m (4,600 ft to 7,500 ft).

Reproductive Mode

Reports have described the reproductive mode of P. jerdonii as both viviparous and ovoviviparous.

Litter Size

Litters of this species contain five to eight newborn individuals.