Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
subspecies of reptile
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen (or northern copperhead) was formerly a venomous pit viper subspecies found in the eastern United States. However, recent taxonomic changes do not recognize the northern copperhead (A. c. mokasen) as a valid taxon.
New taxonomy
The northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) was once classified as a subspecies of the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix). However, DNA based studies published in 2008 and 2015, revealed no significant genetic difference between the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen), the southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) and the Osage copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster). The three subspecies were synonymized and elevated to one species, with the oldest published name, Agkistrodon contortrix, having priority. The resulting taxonomy does not recognize the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) as a valid taxon. Several subsequent reviews and species accounts have followed and supported the revised taxonomy.
Description
The northern copperhead grows to a typical length of 61–91 cm (24–36 in), with a maximum of 135 cm (53 in).
The dorsal scales are weakly keeled.
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This entry incorporates text from “Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen” 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.