NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Agkistrodon piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789)
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.
This 2005 photograph depicted an “eastern cottonmouth” snake, Agkistrodon p. piscivorus, as it was coiled atop a ground cover of pine needles. Startled, this snake had taken on a defensive posture, baring its fangs in a very aggressive manner.
CDC/ Edward J. Wozniak D.V.M., Ph.D., John Willson at the University of Georgia, at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. It is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers (along with the Florida cottonmouth), and is native to the Southeastern United States. As an adult, it is large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When threatened, it may respond by coiling its body and displaying its fangs. Individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled in any way. It tends to be found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. It is a capable swimmer, and like several species of snakes, is known to occasionally enter bays and estuaries and swim between barrier islands and the mainland.
Wikipedia contributors, Agkistrodon piscivorus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:16:33.628491+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Agkistrodon piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Lacépède, 1789)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Agkistrodon
- 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
- genusAgkistrodon
- speciesAgkistrodon piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Agkistrodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Southern CopperheadAgkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| CantilAgkistrodon bilineatus Günther, 1863 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican MoccasinAgkistrodon taylori Burger & Robertson, 1951 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Agkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gloyd’s MoccasinAgkistrodon howardgloydi Conant, 1984 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican MoccasinAgkistrodon russeolus Gloyd, 1972 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Acontias leucostoma Troost, 1836 Troost, 1836 | synonym |
| Crotalus piscivorus Lacépède, 1789 Lacépède, 1789 | 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=Agkistrodon&species=piscivorus 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.
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:5TRLF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.