Echis megalocephalus

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Echis megalocephalus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Echis
Species:
E. megalocephalus
Binomial name
Echis megalocephalus
Cherlin, 1990
Echis megalocephalus distribution.png
Synonyms [1]
  • Echis [(Toxicoa)] megalocephalusCherlin, 1990
  • Echis megalocephalus
    Golay et al., 1993

Echis megalocephalus, also known commonly as the big-headed carpet viper [2] and Cherlin's saw-scaled viper, [3] is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to one island in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea. [1] There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. [4]

Contents

Description

E. megalocephalus grows to a total length (including tail) of 54–62 cm (21–24 in), which is relatively large in comparison to other Echis species. The head is similar to that of E. pyramidum . Midbody, there are 31 rows of dorsal scales. The ventrals number 186–202, and the subcaudals 33–37. The color pattern varies, but generally consists of a series of pale, oblique, dorsal blotches set against a darker ground color. [2]

Geographic range

E. megalocephalus is known only from the type locality, Nokra (Nocra) Island, which is part of the Dahlak Archipelago, off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea. [1]

Reproduction

E. megalocephalus is oviparous. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 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).
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. 1 2 Echis megalocephalus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 3 August 2007.
  4. "Echis megalocephalus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 1 August 2006.

Further reading