Vipera aspis atra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vipera aspis atra
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Viperinae
Genus: Vipera
Species: V. aspis
Subspecies: V. a. atra
Trinomial name
Vipera aspis atra
Meisner, 1820
Synonyms
  • Vipera atra - Meisner, 1820
  • Vipera aspis atra - Meisner, 1820
  • Vipera aspis var. nigra - 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 - Müller, 1880
  • Mesovipera morathi lepontica - Reuss, 1938
  • Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis atra - Obst, 1983
  • Vipera aspis typus - Golay et al., 1993[1]
Common names: black asp, black viper.[2]

Vipera aspis atra is a venomous viper subspecies[3] found in France, Switzerland and Italy.[4]

Contents

[edit] Geographic range

Western Switzerland, northwestern Italy and southeastern France.[4] Mallow et al. (2003) describes the range only as "portions of Switzerland."[5]

[edit] Conservation status

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

[edit] Taxonomy

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

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 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 (TSN 635251). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 15 August 2006.
  4. ^ a b Vipera aspis at the TIGR Reptile Database
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b Vipera aspis at IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
  7. ^ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1)IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.

[edit] Further reading

  • 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 Evolution 38(2):546-552.