NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
South American Bushmaster
Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Lachesis muta, also known as the Southern American bushmaster or Atlantic bushmaster, is a pit viper species found in South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Wikipedia contributors, Lachesis muta; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:26:18.823235+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- South American Bushmaster
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Lachesis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyViperidae
- subfamilyCrotalinae
- genusLachesis
- speciesLachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lachesis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Forest bushmasterLachesis rhombeata (Wied, 1824) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Central American bushmasterLachesis stenophrys Cope, 1875 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lachesis acrochorda (Garcia, 1896) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-headed bushmasterLachesis melanocephala Solórzano & Cerdas, 1986 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scytale ammodytes Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 | synonym |
| Scytale catenatus Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 | synonym |
| Coluber crotalinus Gmelin, 1789 Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Coluber alecto Shaw, 1802 Shaw, 1802 | synonym |
| Bothrops surucucu Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | synonym |
| Bothrops sururucu Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | synonym |
| Crotalus mutus Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | ambiguous synonym |
| Coluber crotalinus Linnaeus, 1771 Linnaeus, 1771 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lachesis&species=muta Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3RNRJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.