North American Agkistrodon species delimitation

[Occidentalis]

I wanted to alert you to a new paper which delimits species within the genus Agkistrodon. Most of you from North America know these as the copperheads and cottonmouths. "Considering gene flow when using coalescent methods to
delimit lineages of North American pitvipers of the genus Agkistrodon" examines diversification within the genus Agkistrodon, and uses molecular methods and environmental niche as evidence for the finding that cottonmouths and copperheads are each comprised of at least two separate species.

I have attached below a picture summary of the information that is probably of the most interest to this audience: the range maps and names of the new species.

Full article also attached below.

Citation: Burbrink, Frank T., and Timothy J. Guiher. "Considering gene flow when using coalescent methods to delimit lineages of North American pitvipers of the genus Agkistrodon." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2015).

 

[gila7150]

Thanks for the info! This is the first I've heard of this and I'm an Agkistrodon fanatic
I wonder if they are looking in to the bilineatus subspecies as well.

 

[Karma Kritters]

Just seemed like a good place to post this pic. A friend caught the pair together a few years ago. Most high strung Cottonmouth I have ever seen.

 

[Karma Kritters]

See if this works. He is now in Germany the last I heard.

 

[Occidentalis]

Thanks for the info! This is the first I've heard of this and I'm an Agkistrodon fanatic
I wonder if they are looking in to the bilineatus subspecies as well.

Would love to, but sampling is sparse. That's a ways off unfortunately.