Montivipera raddei albicornuta

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Montivipera raddei albicornuta
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Montivipera
Species:
M. raddei
Subspecies:
M. r. albicornuta
Trinomial name
Montivipera raddei albicornuta
Nilson & Andrén, 1985
Montivipera albicornuta distribution.png
Synonyms [1]
  • Vipera albicornuta
    Nilson & Andrén, 1985
  • Vipera raddei albicornuta
    — Golay et al., 1993
Common names: Iranian mountain viper, zigzag mountain viper. [2]

Montivipera raddei albicornuta is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to Iran. [1] [3] It is a subspecies of Montivipera raddei .

Contents

Description

Grows to a maximum total length of 66 cm (26 in). [2]

The head is relatively small and elongated, although fairly distinct from the neck. The supraoculars are raised and separated from the eyes by a row of small scales. The nostril is centered in a large nasal scale that is partially fused with the prenasals. A loreal scale is present between the upper preocular and nasal. The supraoculars are separated by at least 7 scales, and by a total of 24-28 scales. The supraocular are separated from the supranasals by 2 canthal scales. 2 apical scales border the rostral. The rostral is wider than it is high. There are 12-16 intercanthals. The total number of scales on the top of the head is 39-40. There are 13-15 circumorbital scales with an incomplete outer ring of 13-17 scales. There are supralabials 9, separated from the eye by 1-2 scale rows. There are 11-12 sublabials, 2 large anterior chin shields, 4 posterior chin shields and 2-3 preventrals. [2]

Midbody there are 23 dorsal scale rows. The ventrals number 165-171. There are 35-38 subcaudals (in males). The anal scale is single. [2]

The color pattern consists of a grayish brown ground color with a darker brown zigzig pattern, made up of about 44-52 windings and edged with black. The belly is dark and mottled with a lighter shade. On the head, deep black bands run from the back of the eye to the angle of the mouth. Supraoculars noticeably pale. There is a row of dark blotches along each side of the dorsum. The back of the head has distinct, teardrop-shaped deep black spots. The throat is whitish with dark mottling. [2]

Geographic range

It is found in the Zanjan Valley and surrounding mountains in northwestern Iran. The type locality given is "Abhar in the Zanjan valley, between Tabriz and Teheran". [1] Mallow et al. (1993) describe the range as "parts of the Elburz, Talysh and Zanjan mountains". [2]

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References

  1. 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).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 359 pp. ISBN   0-89464-877-2.
  3. ↑ "Vipera albicornuta". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 6 August 2006.

Further reading

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