NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown’s Montane Pit Viper
Mixcoatlus browni (Shreve, 1938)
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
Mixcoatlus browni (commonly known as Brown's montane pit viper, sometimes Mexican montane pitviper) is a species of pit viper found at high elevations in Guerrero, Mexico. This species was previously placed in the genus Agkistrodon, where it was considered to be a junior synonym of Cerrophidion barbouri. Molecular evidence has since demonstrated that M. browni is a distinct species and the genus name was subsequently changed.
The genus Mixcoatlus is derived from the Nahuatl word Mixcoatl or "cloud serpent", a deity of the Aztec and several other Mesoamerica civilizations. This name also refers to the geographic restriction of this clade to elevations above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Wikipedia contributors, Mixcoatlus browni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:33.292139+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mixcoatlus browni (Shreve, 1938)
- Name authority
- (Shreve, 1938)
- Common name
- Brown’s Montane Pit Viper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Mixcoatlus
- 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
- genusMixcoatlus
- speciesMixcoatlus browni (Shreve, 1938)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mixcoatlus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Barbour's Montane Pit ViperMixcoatlus barbouri (Dunn, 1919) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-tailed Horned PitviperMixcoatlus melanurus (Müller, 1924) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Agkistrodon browni Shreve, 1938 Shreve, 1938 | 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=Mixcoatlus&species=browni 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:43RVM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.