Vipera monticola
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| Vipera monticola | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vipera monticola Saint-Girons, 1954 |
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- Common names: Atlas mountain viper.[2]
Vipera monticola is a venomous viper species endemic in Morocco.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[3]
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[edit] Description
A very small species with a maximum length of less than 40 cm.[4] Spawls and Branch (1995) describe it as the smallest member of the genus Vipera, reaching a length of only 345 mm.[2]
[edit] Geographic range
High Atlas Mountains, Morocco. The type locality given is "Haut-Atlas, Massif du Toubkal, Maroc ... qu'entre 2.500 et 3.900 m" [Toubkal Massif, High Atlas Mountains, southwestern Morocco].[1]
[edit] Conservation status
This species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).[5] Listed as such because its extent of occurrence is likely not much more than 20,000 km², and the extent and quality of its habitat are probably declining, therefore making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable. Year assessed: 2005.[6]
[edit] See also
- List of viperine species and subspecies
- Viperinae by common name
- Viperinae by taxonomic synonyms
- Snakebite
[edit] References
- ^ a b c 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).
- ^ a b Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.
- ^ Vipera monticola (TSN 634996). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 18 August 2006.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Vipera monticola at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.
- ^ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.
[edit] External links
- Vipera monticola at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 2 September 2007.
