Macrovipera
| Macrovipera | |
|---|---|
| File:Macrovipera lebetina obtusa03.jpg | |
| Macrovipera lebetinus obtusa | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Viperinae |
| Genus: | Macrovipera A.F. Reuss, 1927[1] |
Macrovipera, known as the large Palearctic vipers,[2] is a genus of vipers that inhabit the semideserts and steppes of North Africa, the Near and Middle East, and the Milos Archipelago in the Aegean Sea.[1] Like all other vipers, they are venomous. These snakes are responsible for a number of bites in Africa and Western Asia every year. They have a reputation for being ill-tempered and can inject a lot of venom, which is why they should be considered as very dangerous.[3] Two species are currently recognized.[4]
Description
[edit | edit source]These snakes are all capable of exceeding 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in total length (body + tail).[3]
The head is broad, flat, and distinct from the neck. Dorsally, it is covered with small, irregular keeled scales. The supraoculars are also fragmented or partially divided. There seems to be a lot of variation in the different scale characteristics.[3]
Geographic range
[edit | edit source]Species of this genus are found in Morocco, Algeria and Tunis in North Africa, east to Pakistan, Kashmir and India, north to the Milos Archipelago in the Aegean Sea (Greece), Azerbaijan, Armenia and Dagestan (Russia). To the south, there is only one old record from Yemen.[3]
Habitat
[edit | edit source]Members of this genus are adapted to arid and dry habitats.[3]
Reproduction
[edit | edit source]All of these species lay eggs (oviparous).[3]
Species
[edit | edit source]| Species[1] | Taxon author[1] | Subsp.* | Common name | Geographic range[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. lebetinusT | (Linnaeus, 1758) | 5 | Blunt-nosed viper | Dagestan, Algeria, Tunisia, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Russian Caucasia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tadzikhistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir. |
| M. razii | Oraie, Rastegar-Pouyani, Khosrovani, Moradi, Akbari, Sehhatisabet, Shafiei, Stumpel, & Joger, 2018 | 0 | Razi's viper | Iran (Kerman) |
*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The genus Macrovipera was created by Francis Albert Theodor Reuss (1927), specifically to accommodate M. lebetinus (the type species). The three other species currently recognized were, at one point, all regarded as subspecies of M. lebetinus. It is now likely that certain subspecies of M. lebetinus will also be elevated to valid species status in the not too distant future.[3] Regarding the geographic range of M. lebetinus, it is possible that this species is now extinct in Israel.[5]
Various species of this genus (and likewise of Vipera) have been suggested for inclusion in the genus Daboia instead, in particular M. lebetinus (Obst 1983) as well as M. mauritanica and M. deserti (Lenk et al. (2001).[6]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (series). Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (volume).
- ^ Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ a b c d e f g Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Macrovipera lebetinus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 August 2007.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Further reading
[edit | edit source]
- Reuss [AF]T. 1927. Sechs europaïsche Giftschlangengattungen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 73: 124–129.
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (in German).
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).