Vipera aspis atra

Vipera aspis atra
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Vipera
Species:	V. aspis
Subspecies:	V. a. atra
Trinomial name
Vipera aspis atra Meisner, 1820
Synonyms [1]
Vipera atraMeisner, 1820 Vipera aspis atra— Meisner, 1820 Vipera aspis var. nigra Bonaparte, 1834 Vipera aspis var. rubriventris Bonaparte, 1834 Vipera aspis var. nigra — Massalongo, 1854 Vipera aspis var. immaculata — Calderini, 1878 Vipera aspis var. Calderinii De Betta, 1879 [Vipera aspis] var. infernalis F. Müller, 1880 Mesovipera morathi lepontica A.F. Reuss, 1938 Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis atra — Obst, 1983 Vipera aspis typus Golay et al., 1993

Common names: black asp, black viper. ^[2]

Vipera aspis atra is a venomous viper subspecies ^[3] endemic to France, Switzerland and Italy. ^[4]

Geographic range

It is found in western Switzerland, northwestern Italy, Spain, and southeastern France. ^[4] Mallow et al. (2003) describe the range only as "portions of Switzerland". ^[5]

Conservation status

This subspecies is classified as Vulnerable (VU) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001). ^{[6] [7]}

Taxonomy

A recent study by Ursenbacher et al. (2006) suggests that V. a. atra may not be a valid subspecies. ^[6]

References

1. 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. Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN   0-8069-6460-X.
3. "Vipera aspis atra". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 15 August 2006.
4. Vipera aspis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
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. Vipera aspis at IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
7. 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.

Further reading

• Meisner F. 1820. "12. Ueber die in der Schweiz einheimischen Schlangen überhaupt und die Vipern insbesonere." pp. 89–95. In: Museum der Naturgeschichte Helvetiens. Band I. Bern: Burgdorfer. 98 pp. (Vipera atra, pp. 93–94.)
• Ursenbacher S, Conelli A, Golay P, Monney JC, Zuffi MAL, Thiery G, Durand T, Fumagalli L. 2006. Phylogeography of the asp viper (Vipera aspis) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data: Evidence for multiple Mediterranean refugial areas. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution38 (2): 546-552.