Trimeresurus labialis, commonly called Nicobar bamboo pit viper,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S (2004). Asian Pitvipers. First Edition. Berlin: Geitje Books. 368 pp. . is a venomous pit viper species endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. No subspecies are currently recognized. Based on IUCN assessment in 2021, this viper is classified as critically endangered.
Geographic range Found only in the Nicobar Islands of India. The type locality given is "den Nikobaren".
Description Males may attain a total length of , with a tail long; females, total length , tail .
Dorsally, T. labialis is brown, either light or dark, with or without darker spots or transverse bars. It may have a light streak on each side of the head, beginning at the snout, continuing under the eye, to the neck. Ventrally, it is also brown.
The dorsal scales are smooth, and are usually in 23 rows at midbody. Ventrals: 158-170 in males; 154-174 in females. Subcaudals: 60-65 in males; 46-57 in females. The subcaudals are usually double, but there may be some interspersed singles.Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, Printers). xii + 583 pp. (Trimeresurus labialis, pp. 525-526).
References
Further reading
Das I (1999). "Biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India". pp. 43–77. In: Ota H (editor) (1999). Tropical Island Herpetofauna ... Amsterdam: Elsevier. 353 pp. . Steindachner, F (1867). "Reptilien ". pp. 1–98. In: von Wüllerstorf-Urbair B (1867) ["1869" on title page]. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair (Zoologie), [Vol. 1, part 3]. Vienna: K. Gerold's Sohn/Kaiserlich-Königl. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. (Trimeresurus labialis, new species, p. 86 + Plate III, figures 1 & 2) (in German). Stoliczka F (1870). "Observations on some Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Fourth Series 6: 105-109. (Trimeresurus mutabilis, new species, p. 108).
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