NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Jararaca
Bothrops jararaca (Wied-Neuwied, 1824)
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
Bothrops jararaca—known as the jararaca or yarara—is a highly venomous pit viper species endemic to South America in southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. The specific name, jararaca, is derived from Old Tupi îararaka. Within its geographic range, it is often abundant and is an important cause of snakebite. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The drugs known as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, used for the treatment of hypertension and some types of congestive heart failure, were developed from a peptide found in the venom of this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Bothrops jararaca; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:23:14.060036+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bothrops jararaca (Wied-Neuwied, 1824)
- Name authority
- (Wied-Neuwied, 1824)
- Common name
- Jararaca
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Bothrops
- 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
- genusBothrops
- speciesBothrops jararaca (Wied-Neuwied, 1824)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bothrops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan's LanceheadBothrops jonathani Harvey, 1994 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brazilian LanceheadBothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Franceses island-LanceheadBothrops sazimai Barbo, Gasparini, Almeida, Zaher, Grazziotin, Gusmão, Ferrarini & Sawaya, 2016 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bothrops monsignifer Timms, Chaparro, Venegas, Salazar-Valenzuela, Scrocchi, Cuevas, Leynaud & Carrasco, 2019 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bothrops oligobalius Dal Vechio, Prates, Grazziotin, Graboski & Rodrigues, 2021 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jabre’s LanceheadBothrops jabrensis Barbo, Grazziotin, Pereira-Filho, Freitas, Abrantes & Kokubum, 2022 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| UrutuBothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Barba AmarillaBothrops atrox (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Barnett's LanceheadBothrops barnetti Parker, 1938 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green JararacaBothrops bilineatus (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| CotiaraBothrops cotiara (Gomes, 1913) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caatinga LanceheadBothrops erythromelas (Amaral, 1923) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lachesis lanceolatus Boulenger, 1896 Boulenger, 1896 | ambiguous synonym |
| Bothrops leucostigma Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | synonym |
| Cophias jajaraca Wied, 1824 Wied, 1824 | synonym |
| Bothrops megaera Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | synonym |
| Bothrops taeniatus Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | ambiguous synonym |
| Bothrops tessellatus Wagler, 1824 Wagler, 1824 | 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=Bothrops&species=jararaca 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:MNY7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.