Atheris rungweensis

Atheris rungweensis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Atheris
Species:	A. rungweensis
Binomial name
Atheris rungweensis Bogert, 1940 [2]
Synonyms [3]
Atheris nitschei rungweensis Bogert, 1940

Atheris rungweensis, commonly known as the Rungwe tree viper, ^{[4] [5]} Mt Rungwe bush viper, ^[3] and Rungwe leaf viper, ^[6] is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to East Africa. ^{[3] [4]}

Taxonomy and etymology

The specific name rungweensis is derived from the species' type locality in the Rungwe Mountains. ^[2] A. rungweensis was formerly considered as a subspecies of Atheris nitschei . ^{[3] [7]}

Description

A. rungweensis grows to a maximum total length (tail included) of 65 cm (26 in). At midbody, it has 22–33 dorsal scale rows. The ventral scales number 150–165, and the subcaudals 46–58. ^[5]

The color pattern is variable, with a ground color that ranges from bright green to green to black. Usually, this is overlaid with a pair of yellow dorsolateral zigzag lines. A row of yellow spots on the sides of the ventral scales may also be present. Specimens from the Sumbawanga region usually have a green, yellow, and black color pattern. Neonates are a dark brown or gray, but with a bright yellow tail tip. ^[7]

Distribution and habitat

A. rungweensis is known from scattered locations from south-western Tanzania to north-eastern Zambia and south to the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi. ^[4]

A. rungweensis is usually found in low bushes along streams and at the edges of mountain forests at altitudes of 800–2,000 m (2,600–6,600 ft). ^{[5] [8]} Occasionally, it is encountered in moist savanna, woodland, and hill forest habitats. ^[7]

Behavior

A. rungweensis is fully arboreal. ^[3]

Reproduction

A. rungweensis is ovoviviparous. ^[3]

References

1. Branch, W.R.; Wagner, P.; Pietersen, D.; Verburgt, L. (2021). "Atheris rungweensis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T44980180A44980189. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T44980180A44980189.en . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
3. Atheris rungweensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 September 2021.
4. Spawls S, Branch B (1995). The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Dubai: Oriental Press / Ralph Curtis Books. 192 pp. ISBN   0-88359-029-8.
5. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ISBN   0-89464-877-2.
6. Mehrtens JM (1987). Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN   0-8069-6460-X.
7. Spawls S, Howell K, Drewes R, Ashe J (2004). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd. 543 pp. ISBN   0-7136-6817-2.
8. Atheris rungweensis at The World Of Atheris . Accessed 9 September 2007.

Further reading

• Bogert CM (1940). "Herpetological Results of the Vernay Angola Expedition, with Notes on the African Reptiles in Other Collections. Part I. — Snakes, Including an Arrangement of African Colubridae". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History77: 1–107 + Plate I. (Atheris nitschei rungweensis, new subspecies, pp. 104–106, Figure 18).
• Broadley, D.G. (1998). "A review of the genus Atheris Cope (Serpentes: Viperidae), with the description of a new species from Uganda". Herpetological Journal. 8: 117–135. (Atheris rungweensis, new taxonomic status, p. 122).
• Rasmussen, J.B.; Howell, K.M. (1982). "The current status of the rare Usambara mountain forest-viper, Atheris ceratophorus Werner, 1895, including a probable new record of Atheris nitschei rungweensis Bogert, 1940, and a discussion of its validity (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae)". Amphibia-Reptilia. 3: 269–277. doi:10.1163/156853882X00482.
• Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Hinkel, H.; Menegon, M. (2018). A Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury Wildlife. ISBN   978-1-399-40481-5. 624 pp. (Atheris rungweensis, pp. 592–593).