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Cerrophidion godmani

species of reptile

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 26, 2026
Entity authorityQ1533864 ↗
Source-derived summary

Cerrophidion godmani is a venomous pit viper species native to southern Mexico and Guatemala. No subspecies are recognized as being valid. It is also known commonly as Godman's montane pit viper or Godman's pit viper.

Etymology

The specific name, godmani, is in honor of English zoologist Frederick DuCane Godman.

Description

Terrestrial and moderately stout, adults of C. godmani are usually less than 55 cm (21.5 in) in total length (including tail), but sometimes grow to more than 75 cm (30 in). The tail is non-prehensile and short. The dorsal scales are in 21 rows at midbody.

Geographic range

C. godmani is found in Mexico, in the Mexican states of Chiapas and southeastern Oaxaca, and in Guatemala. Populations from south of Guatemala are assigned to a new species, Cerrophidion sasai. The type locality for C. godmani given by Günther in 1863 is "near Dueñas and on other parts of the tableland of Guatemala".

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cerrophidion godmani” as species of reptile. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1863—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Cerrophidion, godmani and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of reptile. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1533864. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1863.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Cerrophidion godmani”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Cerrophidion godmani primary sources, Cerrophidion godmani archive and Cerrophidion research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Cerrophidion godmani” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.