Bitis heraldica

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Bitis heraldica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Bitis
Species:
B. heraldica
Binomial name
Bitis heraldica
(Bocage, 1889)
Bitis heraldica distribution.png
Synonyms
  • Vipera heraldicaBocage, 1889
  • Bitis peringueyi
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Bitis heraldica
    Betherncourt-Ferreira, 1898 [2]

Bitis heraldica is a viper species endemic to Angola. [1] [3] It is easily distinguished from B. caudalis by its heavily speckled belly and lack of any supraocular "horns". [4] No subspecies are currently recognized. [3] [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

Its common names include Angolan adder [4] [6] and Bocage's horned adder. [5]

Description

The maximum recorded total length (body + tail) is 405 mm (15.9 in). [4]

Distribution and habitat

It is found on the high plateau of central Angola. [2]

The type locality given is "sur les bords de la rivière Calae, l'un des affluents de Cunene, entre le 13o et 14o parallèle á l'est de Caconda." [Calai River (tributary of the Kunene), Cacanda, Angola. [2]

It commonly inhabits rocky mountain slopes. [4]

Behavior

Nothing is known of its behavior, as less than 20 specimens have ever been collected. [4]

Venom

Nothing is known of the venom composition, and no bites have ever been recorded. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viperinae</span> Subfamily of snakes

Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of vipers endemic to Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the subfamily Crotalinae. Currently, 13 genera are recognized. Most are tropical and subtropical, although one species, Vipera berus, even occurs within the Arctic Circle. Like all vipers, they are venomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaboon viper</span> Species of snake

The Gaboon viper, also called the Gaboon adder, is a large and highly venomous viper species found in the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. It is the largest member of the genus Bitis, and has the longest fangs of any venomous snake – up to 2 inches (5.1 cm) in length – and the highest venom yield of any snake. No subspecies are recognized.

<i>Bitis</i> Genus of snakes

Bitis is a genus of vipers found in Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It includes the largest and the smallest vipers in the world. Members are known for their characteristic threat displays that involve inflating and deflating their bodies while hissing and puffing loudly. The type species for this genus is B. arietans, which is also the most widely distributed viper in Africa. Currently, 18 species are recognized.

<i>Bitis nasicornis</i> Species of snake

Bitis nasicornis is a viper species belonging to the genus Bitis, part of a subfamily known as "puff-adders", found in the forests of West and Central Africa. This large viper is known for its striking coloration and prominent nasal "horns". No subspecies are currently recognized. Its common names include butterfly viper, rhinoceros viper, river jack and many more. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.

Atheris anisolepis, otherwise known as the Mayombe bush-viper, is a species of viper endemic to west-central Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized. The Atheris anisolepis is very similar to the Atheris squamigera but it is differentiated by the complete row of scales between the supralabial scales and the ocular scales as well as having enlarged, smooth, and/or weekly keeled scales. However, this differentiation does not always apply and may not always be accurate.

Bitis arietans somalica also known as the Somali puff adder, is a venomous viper subspecies found only in Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya. It is distinguished from B. a. arietans by its keeled subcaudals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berg adder</span> Species of snake

The berg adder is a viper species endemic to mountainous regions in southern Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned adder</span> Species of snake

The horned adder is a viper species. It is found in the arid region of southwest Africa, in Angola, Botswana, Namibia; South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It is easily distinguished by the presence of a single, large horn-like scale over each eye. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Many-horned adder</span> Species of snake

The many-horned adder is a viper species. It is found in certain rocky desert areas, mostly along the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, in western South Africa and southwestern Namibia. It has characteristic tufts of "horns" above each eye. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. No subspecies are currently recognized.

The Albany adder is a viper species. It was previously considered a subspecies of Bitis cornuta. Its range is restricted to eastern and southern Cape Province in South Africa. Like all vipers, it is venomous.

<i>Bitis schneideri</i> Species of snake

Bitis schneideri is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to a small coastal region that straddles the border between Namibia and South Africa. B. schneideri is the smallest species in the genus Bitis and possibly the world's smallest viper. There are no subspecies that are currently recognized as being valid.

<i>Bitis inornata</i> Species of snake

Bitis inornata is a venomous viper species found only in Cape Province, South Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Bitis peringueyi</i> Species of snake

Bitis peringueyi, also known as the Peringuey's adder, Peringuey's desert adder or desert sidewinding adder, is a viper species found in Namibia and southern Angola. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red adder</span> Species of snake

The red adder is a viper species found only in Western Cape Province, South Africa. No subspecies are currently recognised. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.

<i>Bitis worthingtoni</i> Species of snake

Bitis worthingtoni, also known commonly as the Kenya horned viper and the Kenyan horned viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Kenya. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

<i>Bitis xeropaga</i> Species of snake

Bitis xeropaga, commonly known as the desert mountain adder or Lüderitz dwarf viper, is a viper species found in southern Namibia and northwestern Cape Province in South Africa. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Causus bilineatus is a viper species endemic to south central Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized. Common names include lined night adder, two-lined night adder, and two-striped night adder. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.

<i>Python anchietae</i> Species of snake

Python anchietae is a python species endemic to southern Africa. According to Donald George Broadley (1990), this species is most closely related to the ball python of western Africa, and no subspecies are currently recognized. It is named after the Portuguese naturalist and explorer José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta. Like all other pythons, it is not venomous.

References

  1. 1 2 Ceríaco, L.M.P. (2021). "Bitis heraldica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T22475207A22475216. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22475207A22475216.en . Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. 1 2 Bitis heraldica at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN   0-88359-029-8
  5. 1 2 "Bitis heraldica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  6. 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.

Further reading