Vipera

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Vipera

Common names: Palaearctic vipers, Eurasian vipers.

Vipera is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of venomous
Venomous snake

A venomous snake is a snake that uses modified saliva, snake venom, usually delivered through highly specialized teeth such as hollow fangs, for the purpose of prey immobilization and self-defense....
viper
Viperinae

The Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of venomous snake Viperidaes found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the Crotalinae....
s. It has a very wide range, being found from North Africa
North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
to just within the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
and from Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
to Pacific Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The name is possibly derived from the Latin words vivus and pario, meaning "alive" and "bear" or "bring forth"; likely a reference to the fact that most vipers bear live young.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Vipera'

Start a new discussion about 'Vipera'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Common names: Palaearctic vipers, Eurasian vipers.
Vipera is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of venomous
Venomous snake

A venomous snake is a snake that uses modified saliva, snake venom, usually delivered through highly specialized teeth such as hollow fangs, for the purpose of prey immobilization and self-defense....
viper
Viperinae

The Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of venomous snake Viperidaes found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the Crotalinae....
s. It has a very wide range, being found from North Africa
North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
to just within the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
and from Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
to Pacific Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The name is possibly derived from the Latin words vivus and pario, meaning "alive" and "bear" or "bring forth"; likely a reference to the fact that most vipers bear live young. Currently, 23 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
are recognized.

Description
Members are usually small and more or less stoutly built. The head is distinct from the neck and covered with small scales in many species, although some have a few small plates on top. The dorsal scales
Dorsal scales

In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales.When counting dorsal scales, numbers are often given for three points along the body, for example 19:21:17....
are strongly keeled
Keeled scales

Keeled scales refer to reptile scales that, rather than being smooth, have a ridge down the center that may or may not extend to the tip of the scale, making them rough to the touch....
, the anal scale
Anal scale

In snakes, the anal scale is the scale just in front of and covering the cloacal opening. This scale can be either single or paired . When paired, the division is oblique....
is divided and the subcaudals paired.

Geographic range
They can be found in Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
and nearly all of continental Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, on some small islands of the Mediterranean (Elba
Elba

Elba is an island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. It is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest List of islands of Italy after Sicily and Sardinia....
, Montecristo
Montecristo

Montecristo is a small Italy islet, approximately 4.3 kilometers across at its widest point, located about halfway between Corsica and mainland Italy; south of Elba and west of Giglio....
, Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
) and the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively....
, as well as in northern Africa in Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
, Algeria
Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
and Tunisia
Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
. It also occurs across the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
and eastwards though northern Asia to Sakhalin Island and northern Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
.

Habitat
Most species prefer cooler environments. Those found at lower latitudes tend to prefer higher altitudes and dryer, rocky habitats, while the species that occur at more northern latitudes prefer lower elevations and environments that have more vegetation and moisture.

Behavior
All species are terrestrial
Terrestrial animal

Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land, as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats ....
.

Reproduction
All members are viviparous, giving birth to live young.

Venom
Most Vipera species have venom that contains both neurotoxic
Neurotoxin

A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels.Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue....
and hemotoxic
Hemotoxin

Hemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells , disrupt blood thrombus, and/or cause Organ degeneration and generalized Biological tissue damage....
components. Bites vary widely in severity. Smaller, northern species, such as V. berus
Vipera berus

Vipera berus is a venomous snake Viperinae species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia....
, have only slightly less toxic venom, but inject very little. Others, such as V. ammodytes
Vipera ammodytes

Vipera ammodytes is a venom Viperinae species found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs and high venom toxicity....
, are capable of injecting much more with devastating results. However, bites from Vipera species are rarely as severe as those from larger Macrovipera
Macrovipera

Macrovipera is a genus of venomous snake Viperinaes that inhabit the semideserts and steppes of North Africa, the Near East and Middle East, and the Milos in the Aegean Sea....
or Daboia
Daboia

Daboia is a monotypic genus created for a venomous snake Viperinae species, D. russelii, which is found in Asia throughout the Indian subcontinent, much of Southeast Asia, southern China and Taiwan....
.

Species

Species Taxon author Subsp.* Common name Geographic range
V. albicornuta
Vipera albicornuta

Vipera albicornuta is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in Iran. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nilson & Andrén, 1985 0 Iranian mountain viper The Zanjan
Zanjan

The name Zanjan may mean one of the following subdivisions in the country of Iran:* Zanjan Province* Zanjan County, an area within Zanjan Province...
Valley and surrounding mountains in northwestern Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
.
V. albizona
Vipera albizona

Vipera albizona is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic to the mountainous regions of central Turkey. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nilson, Andrén & Flärdh, 1990 0 Central Turkish mountain viper Central Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
.
V. ammodytes
Vipera ammodytes

Vipera ammodytes is a venom Viperinae species found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs and high venom toxicity....
(Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus was a Sweden botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern alpha taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology....
, 1758) 4 Horned viper North-eastern Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, southern Slovakia
Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
, western Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
, Slovenia
Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north....
, Croatia
Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea....
, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
, Montenegro
Montenegro

Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
, Albania
Albania

Albania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a country in Balkans. It is bordered by Greece to the south-east, Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, and the Republic of Macedonia to the east....
, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
(including Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)

Macedonia is a geographical and historical Regions of Greece in Southeastern Europe Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greece region....
and Cyclades
Cyclades

The Cyclades are a Greece island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefectures of Greece of Greece....
), Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
, Turkey, Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
and Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
.
V. aspis
Vipera aspis

Vipera aspis is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in southwestern Europe. Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, Vipera berus; not only can they be very painful, but according to Stemmler , about 4% of all untreated bites are fatal....
^T (Linnaeus, 1758) 4 Asp viper France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, Andorra
Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France....
, northeastern Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, extreme southwestern Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
, Monaco
Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe . The territory lies on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea....
, the islands of Elba
Elba

Elba is an island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. It is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest List of islands of Italy after Sicily and Sardinia....
and Montecristo
Montecristo

Montecristo is a small Italy islet, approximately 4.3 kilometers across at its widest point, located about halfway between Corsica and mainland Italy; south of Elba and west of Giglio....
, Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
, Italy, San Marino
San Marino

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is a country in the Apennine Mountains. It is a landlocked country Enclave and exclave, completely surrounded by Italy....
and northwestern Slovenia.
V. barani
Vipera barani

Vipera barani is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in Turkey. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Böhme & Joger, 1984 0 Baran's adder Northwestern Turkey.
V. berus
Vipera berus

Vipera berus is a venomous snake Viperinae species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia....
(Linnaeus, 1758) 2 Common European adder From western Europe
Western Europe

Western Europe refers to the countries in the western most half of Europe. This concept has had different meanings, political and cultural as well as geographical issues have influenced the area....
(Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, France) across central
Central Europe

Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern Europe and Western Europe Europe. In addition, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe....
(Italy, Albania, Bulgaria and northern Greece) and eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
to north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
, and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, Sakhalin Island, North Korea
North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
, northern Mongolia
Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west....
and northern China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
V. bornmuelleri
Vipera bornmuelleri

Vipera bornmuelleri is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in the Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Werner
Franz Werner

Franz Werner was an Austrians zoology and exploration. Specializing as a herpetology and entomology, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms....
, 1898 0 Bornmuellers viper Golan Heights
Golan Heights

The Golan Heights is a contested, strategic plateau and mountainous region at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The term Golan Heights actually has two separate meanings, one geography and one political:...
, southern Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
and Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
.
V. bulgardaghica
Vipera bulgardaghica

Vipera bulgardaghica is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in the mountains of southern Turkey. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nilson & Andrén, 1985 0 Bulgardagh viper The Bulgar Dagh (Bolkar Dagi) mountains, Nigde Province
Nigde Province

Nigde is a small rural Provinces of Turkey in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Population is 331.677 of which 100.418 live in the city of Nigde....
, south central Anatolia
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
, Turkey.
V. darevskii
Vipera darevskii

Vipera darevskii is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Armenia and possibly also in Georgia . No subspecies are currently recognized....
Vedmederja, Orlov & Tuniyev, 1986 0 Darevsky's viper The southeastern Dzavachet Mountains in Armenia
Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in South Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea....
and adjacent areas in Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
.
V. dinniki
Vipera dinniki

Vipera dinniki is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nikolsky, 1913 0 Dinnik's viper Russia (Great Caucasus
Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasus Mountains is a Mountain range in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea sea in the Caucasus region.The Caucasus Mountains are made up of two separate mountain systems:...
) and Georgia (high mountain basin of the Inguri River
Inguri

The Inguri , is a river in western Georgia . It is 213 km long, originates in northeastern Svaneti near the region of Racha and plays an important role providing hydroelectric power to the area....
), eastward to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus, located partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Western Asia....
.
V. kaznakovi
Vipera kaznakovi

Vipera kaznakovi is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Turkey, Georgia and Russia. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nikolsky, 1909 0 Caucasus viper Northeastern Turkey, Georgia and Russia (eastern Black Sea
Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
coast.
V. latastei
Vipera latastei

Vipera latastei is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in extreme southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here....
Bosca, 1878 1 Lataste's viper Extreme southwestern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
(France, Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
and Spain) and northwestern Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
(the Mediterranean region of Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
, Algeria
Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
and Tunisia
Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
).
V. latifii
Vipera latifii

Vipera latifii is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in Iran. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Mertens, Darevsky & Klemmer, 1967 0 Latifi's viper Iran: upper Lar Valley in the Elburz Mountains.
V. lotievi
Vipera lotievi

Vipera lotievi is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nilson et al., 1995 0 Caucasian meadow viper The higher range of the Big Caucasus
Greater Caucasus

Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of Caucasus Mountains....
: Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
V. monticola
Vipera monticola

Vipera monticola is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in Morocco. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Saint-Girons, 1954 0 Atlas mountain viper High Atlas Mountains
High Atlas

High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas Mountains is a mountain range in central Morocco in Northern Africa.The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border....
, Morocco.
V. nikolskii
Vipera nikolskii

Vipera nikolskii is a venomous snake Viperinae species endemic in Ukraine. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Vedmederja, Grubant & Rudajewa, 1986 0 Nikolsky's viper Central Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
.
V. palaestinae
Vipera palaestinae

Vipera palaestinae is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Syria, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. Considered a leading cause of snakebite within its range....
Werner, 1938 0 Palestine viper Syria, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
and Lebanon.
V. pontica
Vipera pontica

Vipera pontica is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Turkey and Georgia . No subspecies are currently recognized.Description...
Billing, Nilson & Sattler, 1990 0 Pontic adder Known only from the Coruh valley in Artvin Province
Artvin Province

Artvin is a Provinces of Turkey in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia .The provincial capital is the city of Artvin....
, northeastern Turkey.
V. raddei
Vipera raddei

Vipera raddei is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and possibly also Iraq. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Boettger
Oskar Boettger

Oskar Boettger; Boettger is credited for making Senckenberg's herpetological collection one of the best in Europe during his tenure there. He suffered from agoraphobia, and relied on assistants to collect specimens for him....
, 1890 0 Rock viper Eastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and probably Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
V. seoanei
Vipera seoanei

Vipera seoanei is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in extreme southwestern France and the northern regions of Spain and Portugal. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate race described here....
Lataste
Fernand Lataste

Fernand Lataste was a French zoologist who for example named the Pachyuromys duprasi in 1880. The Vipera latastei Vipera latastei, a Viperidae from Spain, Portugal and North Africa, was named in his honor....
, 1879 1 Baskian viper Extreme southwestern France and the northern regions of Spain and Portugal.
V. ursinii
Vipera ursinii

Vipera ursinii is a venomous snake Viperinae and a very widespread species, found from southeastern France all the way to China . No subspecies are currently recognized....
(Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Bonaparte

Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a France natural history and ornithology. He was the son of Lucien Bonaparte and Alexandrine de Bleschamp, and nephew of Emperor Napoleon I of France....
, 1835) 0 Meadow viper Southeastern France, eastern Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
(extinct), Hungary, central Italy, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, northern and northeastern Albania, Romania, northern Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, northwestern Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and across the Khazakstan, Kirgizia and eastern Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked_country country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union....
steppes to China (Xinjiang
Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area, spanning over 1.6 million sq....
).
V. wagneri
Vipera wagneri

Vipera wagneri is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in eastern Turkey and northwest Iran. No subspecies are currently recognized....
Nilson & Andrén, 1984 0 Ocellated mountain viper The mountains of eastern Turkey and adjacent northwest Iran.
V. xanthina
Vipera xanthina

Vipera xanthina is a venomous snake Viperinae species found in northeastern Greece and Turkey, as well as certain islands in the Aegean Sea....
(Gray
John Edward Gray

John Edward Gray was a United Kingdom zoology. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1849) 0 Rock viper Extreme northeastern Greece, the Greek islands of Simi
SIMI

Simi may refer to:*Symi, a Greek island*Simi Valley, California*Students Islamic Movement of India - a students' social Islamic organization - now banned - in India....
, Kos
Kos

Kos or Cos is a Greece island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of G?kova. It measures 40 km by 8 km, and is only 4 km from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria....
, Kalimnos, Leros
Leros

Leros is a Greece island and Communities and Municipalities of Greece in the Dodecanese prefecture in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride ....
, Lipsos, Patmos
Patmos

Patmos is a small Greece island in the Aegean Sea. One of the northernmost islands of the Dodecanese complex, it has a population of 2,984 and an area of 34.05 km ....
, Samos
Samos Island

Samos is a Greece island in the North Aegean sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the Ionian coast of Turkey....
, Chios
Chios

Chios is the fifth largest of the Greece list of islands of Greece, situated in the Aegean Sea seven kilometres off the Turkey coast. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages....
and Lesbos, European Turkey
European Turkey

European Turkey or Turkey in Europe was the term used for the European territories of the Ottoman Empire, which was also alternatively called "Turkey" or the "Turkish Empire" by its contemporaries....
, the western half of Anatolia
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
(inland eastward to Kayseri
Kayseri

Kayseri , named in the antiquity Mazaka or Mazarca, Eusebia, Caesarea Cappadociae, and later Kaisariyah, is a large and industrialized List of cities in Turkey in Central Anatolia, Turkey....
), and islands (e.g. Chalki
Chalki

Halki is a Greece island and Communities and Municipalities of Greece in the Dodecanese archipelago in the Aegean Sea, some west of Rhodes. With the area of , it is the smallest inhabited island of Dodecanese....
, Kastellórizon [Meis Adasi]) of the Turkish mainland shelf.
*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
^T) Type species
Type species

In taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus . It is an individual specimen that fixes the name of a genus . Two different definitions are used interchangeably, in a general term and a botanical term....
.

See also

List of viperine species and subspecies
List of viperine species and subspecies

This is a list of all Genus, species and subspecies of the subfamily Viperinae, otherwise referred to as viperines, true vipers, pitless vipers or Old World vipers....
Snakebite
Snakebite

Snakes often bite their prey when feeding, but occasionally they also bite humans. People can avoid and treat snakebites by knowing their etiology, along with prevention tips, and first-aid and hospital treatment....

External links

at . Accessed 6 August 2007.