Spider-tailed horned viper

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Spider-tailed horned viper
Pseudocerastes urarachnoides 2018.jpg
Close-up of P. urarachnoides showing spider-like tail tip
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Pseudocerastes
Species:
P. urarachnoides
Binomial name
Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
Pseudocerastes urarachnoides distribution.png

The spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) is a species of viper, a venomous snake, in the family Viperidae and genus Pseudocerastes . The genus is commonly known as "false-horned vipers". [3]

Contents

The species is endemic to western Iran [4] and over the border region with Iraq. It was originally described by scientists as Pseudocerastes persicus, attributing the tail to either a parasite, deformity, or tumors. Another specimen was found in 2003. [5] P. urarachnoides was officially described in 2006. The head looks very similar to that of other Pseudocerastes species in the region, but the spider-tailed horned viper has a unique tail with a bulb-like end that is bordered by long drooping scales that give it the appearance of a spider. [4] The tail tip is waved around and used to lure insectivorous birds to within striking range. [6]

Etymology

The specific name, urarachnoides, is derived from Ancient Greek (οὐρά + αράχνη + οειδής), and refers to this snake's spider-like tail-tip, as does the common name, spider-tailed horned viper. [4]

Systematics

Molecular studies based on cytochrome b show it to be closer to the Persian horned viper ( Pseudocerastes persicus ) than to Field's horned viper ( Pseudocerastes fieldi ). [7]

Description

Close-up of the tail Pseudocerastes urarachnoides tail png.png
Close-up of the tail

Like other vipers in the genus Pseudocerastes, the scales above the eyes rise up to give P. urarachnoides a horned appearance. A specimen had been collected in 1968 as part of the Second Street Expedition to Iran and deposited in the Field Museum of Natural History at Chicago, identified as Pseudocerastes persicus . It was, however, found to be distinct, and it was described as a new species in 2006. [8]

The species is distinguished by a number of characteristics. There are about 16 to 17 scales between the horns, and the scales on the body above are rougher than on other species in the genus. There are 15 pairs of subcaudal scales, and the scales on the sides of the tail are elongated and appear like appendages of an arthropod. The tip of the tail is inflated into a bulb-like shape. [9]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in the western parts of Iran and over the border into the eastern part of Iraq. It is found in the Zagros Mountains, more commonly on the western side of the mountains. Its current range is relatively small and getting smaller. [10] This species lives in higher elevations that are primarily composed of gypsum. It prefers deep cracks and holes within the rock. They use these areas because they trap humidity and moisture during the hot summer months. During the day, it is most commonly found in the shade of a shrub. [11]

It overlaps in distribution with P. fieldi in Gilan-e Gharb, next to Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah, and with P. persicus in Bina and Bijar, Ilam Province. [9]

Biology

Mimicry and behavior

The snake's conspicuous tail contrasts with the rest of its body, which is well-camouflaged with disruptive coloration Pseudocerastes urarachnoides 2011.jpg
The snake's conspicuous tail contrasts with the rest of its body, which is well-camouflaged with disruptive coloration
Using the tail as a lure and catching a wren-like bird

The snake is a superb mimic. The tail resembles a spider or other arachnid, and the authors who described the species speculated that it was used as a lure to attract birds, as a digested lark had been found in the stomach of the paratype specimen. [4]

The tip of the tail is used as a lure in several other species of snake, including the horned adder ( Bitis caudalis ), sidewinder ( Crotalus cerastes ), eastern massasauga ( Sistrurus catenatus ), eastern copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix ), common death-adder ( Acanthophis antarcticus ), northern death-adder ( Acanthophis praelongus ), and green tree python ( Morelia viridis ), but none of these examples has the unique elongated scales that give it the appearance of arthropod appendages. [4] [12] The actual use of the tail to lure birds (an example of caudal luring) has been confirmed in field studies; [6] the tail is moved in a figure-of-eight pattern.

Footage of the spider-tailed horned viper using its tail to lure a migrating bird featured in the Asia episode of the BBC series Seven Worlds, One Planet narrated by David Attenborough. [13]

Venom

The venom of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides mainly acts as a cytotoxin. It targets cells and destroys them. Unlike its sister species, this cytotoxin destroys a wide variety of cell types. It has minor neurotoxic effects. This venom works as a procoagulant, with a remarkable coagulation speed, with reports of about 13 seconds before coagulation. [14] Compared to its sister species, this venom is highly-specialized for birds. The venoms of the sister species, P. fieldi and P. persicus, do not have significant effects on birds and are more suited for mammals and amphibians. P. urarachnoides has a significant effect on birds, mammals, and amphibians. There is speculation that the venom affecting amphibians, toads specifically, could be a sign that these are the main diet of the young snakes, though more information about the juveniles still needs to be collected. In a study by Brouw (2021), it was found that the venom of this species does have a coagulant effect on humans and affects the human's Factor X. However, there has never been a recorded case of human envenomation in the wild. The severity of the effects that this venom would have on humans is not known. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cerastes cerastes</i> Species of reptile

Cerastes cerastes, commonly known as the Saharan horned viper or the desert horned viper, is a venomous species of viper native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant. It is often easily recognized by the presence of a pair of supraocular "horns", although hornless individuals do occur. Three subspecies have been described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field's horned viper</span> Species of snake

Field's horned viper is a species of snake in the family Viperidae. The species is native to the deserts of the Middle East. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Persian horned viper. The main differences between this species and the Persian horned viper are in scalation and venom composition.

<i>Cerastes</i> (genus) Genus of snakes

Cerastes is a genus of small, venomous vipers found in the deserts and semi-deserts of northern North Africa eastward through Arabia and Iran. Three species are currently recognized by ITIS, and an additional recently described species is recognized by the Reptile Database. Common names for members the genus include horned vipers, North African desert vipers, and cerastes vipers.

<i>Echis</i> Genus of snakes

Echis is a genus of vipers found in the dry regions of Africa, the Middle East, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. They have a characteristic threat display, rubbing sections of their body together to produce a "sizzling" warning sound. The name Echis is the Latin transliteration of the Greek word for "viper" (ἔχις). Like all vipers, they are venomous. Their common name is "saw-scaled vipers" and they include some of the species responsible for causing the most snakebite cases and deaths in the world. Twelve species are currently recognized.

<i>Pseudocerastes</i> Genus of snakes

Pseudocerastes is a genus of vipers endemic to the Middle East and Asia. It was originally created as a monotypic genus in 1896 by Boulenger for the species Pseudocerastes persicus, but three species are now recognised: the spider-tailed horned viper ; Persian horned viper and Field's horned viper. Like all other vipers, the members of this genus are venomous.

<i>Walterinnesia</i> Genus of snakes

Walterinnesia is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. The genus contains two species, known commonly as desert black snakes or black desert cobras, which are endemic to the Middle East. The generic name Walterinnesia honours Walter Francis Innes Bey (1858–1937), who was a physician and zoologist in Egypt.

<i>Cerastes gasperettii</i> Species of snake

Cerastes gasperettii, also known commonly as the Arabian horned viper and Gasperetti's horned viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to the Arabian Peninsula and north to Palestine (region), Iraq, and Iran. It is very similar in appearance to C. cerastes, but the geographic ranges of these two species do not overlap. No subspecies of C. gasperettii are recognized.

<i>Montivipera xanthina</i> Species of snake

Montivipera xanthina, known as the rock viper, coastal viper, Ottoman viper, and by other common names, is a viper species found in northeastern Greece and Turkey, as well as certain islands in the Aegean Sea. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdistan newt</span> Species of salamander

Neurergus derjugini, the Kurdistan newt, Kordestan newt, Derjugin's (Kordestan) mountain newt, or yellow-spotted mountain newt, is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in Kurdistan in western Iran and in northeastern Iraq. There are two subspecies, Neurergus derjugini derjugini and Neurergus derjugini microspilotus, the latter is sometimes known as the Avroman Dagh newt.

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

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<i>Duttaphrynus olivaceus</i> Species of amphibian

Duttaphrynus olivaceus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in southeastern Iran and western Pakistan. Its presence in Afghanistan and India is doubtful. Common names olive toad, Baluchistan coastal toad, Baluchestan coastal toad, and Makran toad have been coined for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caudal luring</span> Form of aggressive mimicry where the predator attracts prey using its tail

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatolian lizard</span> Species of lizard

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<i>Microgecko persicus</i> Species of lizard

Microgecko persicus, known as the Persia sand gecko or Persian dwarf gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. As of January 2019 its conservation status has not been assessed on the IUCN Red List.

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References

  1. ↑ Steven C. Anderson, Theodore Papenfuss (2022). "Pseudocerastes urarachnoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T164664A88004847. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022.RLTS.T164664A88004847.en . Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar (16 August 2018). "Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of genera Eristicophis and Pseudocerastes (Ophidia, Viperidae)". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (6). Wiley: 673–685. doi:10.1111/zsc.12311. ISSN   0300-3256. S2CID   91922478.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bostanchi, Hamid; Anderson, Steven C.; Kami, Haji Gholi; Papenfuss, Theodore J. (2006). "A New Species of Pseudocerastes with Elaborate Tail Ornamentation from Western Iran (Squamata: Viperidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. Fourth Series. 57 (14): 443–450. (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides, new species).
  5. ↑ Bostanchi, H., Anderson, S., Kami, H., & Papenfuss, T. (2006). A New Species of Pseudocerastes with Elaborate Tail Ornamentation from Western Iran (Squamata: Viperidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Volume 57(No. 14), 443-450.
  6. 1 2 Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar; Todehdehghan, Fatemeh; Amiri, Fathollah (2015). "Avian deception using an elaborate caudal lure in Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (Serpentes: Viperidae)". Amphibia-Reptilia. 36 (3): 223–231. doi:10.1163/15685381-00002997.
  7. ↑ Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar; Toodeh-Dehghan, Fatemeh; Rajabizadeh, Mehdi (2014). "Molecular systematics of the genus Pseudocerastes (Ophidia: Viperidae) based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene". Turkish Journal of Zoology. 38: 575–581. doi: 10.3906/zoo-1308-25 .
  8. ↑ Grant, S; Webbink, K; Resetar, A. "Pseudocerastes urarachnoides Bostanchi, Anderson, Kami & Papenfuss, 2006". Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Amphibian and Reptile Collection.
  9. 1 2 Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah (2010). "On the species of Pseudocerastes (Ophidia: Viperidae) in Iran". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 17 (4): 275–279. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2010-17-4-275-279 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  10. ↑ Fathinia B., Rödder D., Rastegar-Pouyani N., Rastegar-Pouyani E., Hosseinzadeh M. & Kazemi S. (2020) The past, current and future habitat range of the Spider-tailed Viper, Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (Serpentes: Viperidae) in western Iran and eastern Iraq as revealed by habitat modelling, Zoology in the Middle East, 66:3, 197-205, doi : 10.1080/09397140.2020.1757910
  11. ↑ Anderson, S. C. (2002). An introduction to the literature of the vertebrate zoology of Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 26(1), 15–28. doi : 10.1080/09397140.2002.10637917
  12. ↑ Fathinia, Behzad; Anderson, Steven C.; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Jahani, Hasan; Mohamadi, Hosien (2009). "Notes on the natural history of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (Squamata: Viperidae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 16 (2): 134–138. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2009-16-2-134-138 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  13. ↑ Knapper, Emma (director and writer); Oldroyd, Adam (writer); Attenborough, David (star); Drost, Peter (star) (3 November 2019). "Asia". Seven Worlds, One Planet . BBC One.
  14. 1 2 Brouw, Bianca, et al. "Extensive Variation in the Activities of Pseudocerastes and Eristicophis Viper Venoms Suggests Divergent Envenoming Strategies Are Used for Prey Capture." Toxins, vol. 13, no. 2, Feb. 2021, p. 112. Crossref, doi : 10.3390/toxins13020112.
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