Protobothrops jerdonii, also known commonly as Jerdon's pit viper, the yellow-speckled pit viper, and the oriental pit viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to India, Nepal, Myanmar, China, and Vietnam. Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
The specific name, jerdonii, is in honor of British herpetologist Thomas C. Jerdon, who collected the type series.
The subspecific name, bourreti, is in honour of French herpetologist René Léon Bourret.
Males of P. jerdonii grow to a maximum total length of , which includes a tail length of ; females grow to , with a tail length of .
Scalation: dorsal scales in 21 longitudinal rows at midbody (rarely 23); snout length a little more than twice diameter of eye; head above, except for large internasals and supraoculars, covered by small, unequal, smooth scales that are feebly imbricate or juxtaposed; first labial completely separated from nasal scales by a suture; internasals separated by 1âÂÂ2 small scales; 6âÂÂ9 small scales in line between supraoculars; 7âÂÂ8 upper labials, third and fourth beneath eye, in contact with subocular or separated by at most a single series of small scales; ventrals: males 164âÂÂ188, females 167âÂÂ193; subcaudals: males 50âÂÂ78, females 44âÂÂ76.
P. jerdonii is found in northeastern India, Nepal, through northern Burma to southwestern China and Vietnam. The type locality given by Günther is "Khassya" (=Khasi Hills, India).
The preferred natural habitats of P. jerdonii are forest, shrubland, and grassland, at altitudes of .
Adults of P. jerdonii prey predominately upon rats, while juveniles prey upon frogs of the families Ranidae and Rhacophoridae.
The mode of reproduction of P. jerdonii has been referred to as viviparous and as ovoviviparous. Litter size is five to eight newborns.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Protobothrops.