短尾蝮Gloydius brevicaudus
地方名：土球子、草上飞
形态特征：体较短粗，全长450～600mm。头略呈三角形，与颈区分明显；吻棱明显。具管牙；有颊窝。头背深棕色，枕部中央有一块浅褐色桃形斑；眼后到颈部有一条镶深棕色边的褐色纹，其上缘又镶白色纹；上唇缘和头腹面灰褐色。颌片外侧有一对左右对称的棕色或黑色斑，与乌苏里蝮明显区分。体背面浅褐色，正背面有两行深棕色近圆形大斑，彼此交错排列，圆斑中央色略淡。体腹面灰白色，密布棕黑色细点。尾尖淡黄色。上唇鳞7枚，呈2-1-4式，下唇鳞多10枚。背鳞以21-21-17行为主，除最外一行平滑外均起棱。腹鳞雄性135～168枚，尾下鳞22～47对，肛鳞完整。
生活习性：多栖息于平原、丘陵草丛中，晨昏，夏夜8时到次日凌晨活动频繁。食性较广，捕食鱼、蛙、蜥蜴、蟾蜍、鸟、鼠类。幼蛇吃蛙、蚯蚓、蜈蚣等。5—6月交配。8—9月产仔。初生仔蛇全长140～170mm。
地理分布：国内见于辽宁、河北、北京、天津、山东、上海、江苏、浙江、安徽、福建、江西、湖北、湖南、四川、贵州、陕西、甘肃、广东；国外分布于朝鲜半岛。
环渤海地区分布：均有分布。
生存现状：近危（NT）。
Squamata Viperidae Gloydius
38.Gloydius brevicaudus
Description Adults up to 450-600mm in TOL, the body is quite stout.Head is slightly triangle-shaped, distinct from the neck; one pair of bilateral pits; the head and dorsum are dark brown; a light brown peach-shaped spot on the center of the occipital part; a dark brown stripe with thin white stripe on the upper edge throughout the cheek; a pair of symmetrical brown or black spots near the the chin shields.Dorsum is light brown; two lines of large dark brown round crossbands throughout the body interlacingly; the ventral is greyish white, covered with irregular brown and black dots; the tip of tail is light yellow;7 supralabials, arranged in 2-1-4, mostly have 10 infralabials; dorsal scales mainly arranged in 21-21-17 rows; 135-168 ventral scales; 22-47 pairs of subcaudals; anal plate completed.
Behaviour Gloydius brevicaudus mostly habitat in plain, hilly grass, active in twilight.Tend to be euryphagous, prey on fish, frogs, lizards, toads, birds and rats.Juvenile snakes eat frogs, earthworms, centipedes.They are observed to be mated in May till June, and prawn from August to September.The newborn snakes are 140-170mm in total length.
Distribution Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang,Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Guangdong in China.At abroad: Korean Peninsula.
Conservation Near Threatened (NT).
