Viperidae - Crotalinae - 2005 Publications
 

Crotalus durissus complex - Neotropical rattlesnake

rattlers

Crotalus durissus                                                          Crotalus tzabcan                                                  Crotalus molossus

Wüster et al. (2005) used sequences of three mitochondrial genes to reconstruct the phylogeography of the Neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus complex) and the related taxa C. molossus and C. basiliscus.
In the C. durissus complex, all South American populations are closely related, including the taxa vegrandis and unicolor, which are often regarded as separate species. It seems exceedingly likely that taxa not included in this study, such as pifanorum and maricelae, will also be fund to be part of this clade. South of the Amazonian forests, there is little clear phylogeographic structure, and the authors synonymise the subspecies C.d. cascavella and C.d. collilineatus with C.d. terrificus.
In Central America, the taxa culminatus and tzabcan are found to represent highly disticnt lineages, and are regarded as separate evolutionary species, Crotalus culminatus and C. tzabcan, although more work is required to confirm this. Crotalus simus simus (sensu Campbell & Lamar, 2004; = Crotalus durissus durissus previously) was found to be polyphyletic, the Veracruz  populations foriming the sister group of C. culminatus and the remaining populations forming the sister group of  the South American populations. The taxon totonacus is more closely related to C. molossus and C. basiliscus than to C. durissus, and is best treated as a full species, as suggested by Campbell & Lamar (2004).
The mtDNA haploypes of Crotalus molossus were found to be highly diverse, four major haplotype clades being found: one each corresponded to the taxa oaxacus and nigrescens, and the remaining two to eastern and western populations of the nominate form. This suggests that C. molossus may also be a species complex.

Bothriopsis/Bothrops oligolepis, peruviana and chloromelas
Harvey et al. (2005), in a review of Bolivian pitvipers, revised the status of a group of rarely seen pitvipers form the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. Campbell & Lamar (1989) had recognised two species, Bothriopsis oligolepis from central and southern Peru and Bolvia, including some very brightly and intricately patterned pitvipers from the Peruvian Andes, and Bothriopsis peruviana, a dulelr form from extreme southern Peru. Harvey et al. examined the holotype of B. peruviana (Boulenger, 1903), and found that this form is a synonym of B. oligolepis (Werner, 1901). Consequently, the available name for the relatively non-contrasting species from southern Peru and Bolivia is Bothriopsis oligolepis. Moreover, Harvey et al. (2005) revalidated Bothriopsis chloromelas (Boulenger, 1912) for the brightly patterned secies found in the cental Andes of Peru. These changes had aready been implemented by Campbell & Lamar (2004), but without detailed explanation of the background. See Wüster et al. (2002) for comments on the validity of the genus Bothriopsis.

Crotalus durissus complex - Neotropical rattlesnake
Savage et al. (2005) revised the nomenclature of the Crotalus durissus complex by designating neotypes for Crotalus durissus and Crotalus simus, to fix the names of these two species as intended in Campbell & Lamar (2004) (see comments on Crotalinae 2004 page). A Surinamese specimen was selected as neotype of C. durissus, which means that the Guyanan coastal populations now bear the name Crotalus durissus durissus, whereas a Guatemalan specimen was selected as neotype of Crotalus simus, thus ensuring that that name is the oldest available name for the Central American populations of the C. durissus complex. These actions ensure that, in accord with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the nomenclatural decisions first introduced in Campbell & Lamar (2004) are now definitively implemented. See Wüster et al. (2005) and comments above for additional recent information on the systematics of the Crotalus durissus complex.