Sexual maturity of Bothrops asper (Serpentes: Viperidae) from Costa Rica

Abstract

Bothrops asper (Garman, 1883), a large, dietary generalist viper, is the only lancehead species widely distributed in the humid lowlands of Middle America and northwestern South America (Sasa et al. 2009, Saldarriaga-Córdoba et al. 2017). The species exhibits cryptic habits and adapts very well to disturbed environments such as agricultural areas (Sasa et al. 2009). These features, added to its high prolificacy, make B. asper responsible for the highest snakebite incidence throughout its distribution (Sasa et al. 2009). It is not surprising that it is a snake of great medical importance that has monopolized epidemiological and toxicological studies in the region (Saldarriaga et al. 2003, Alape-Girón et al. 2008, Bravo-Vega et al. 2019). Some studies have found an ontogenetic