Bitis heraldica is a viper species endemic to Angola. It is easily distinguished from B. caudalis by its heavily speckled belly and lack of any supraocular "horns". No subspecies are currently recognized.
Taxonomy Its common names include Angolan adderSpawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . and Bocage's horned adder.
Description The maximum recorded total length (body + tail) is .
Distribution and habitat It is found on the high plateau of central Angola.
The type locality given is "sur les bords de la rivière Calae, l'un des affluents de Cunene, entre le 13o et 14o parallèle á l'est de Caconda." [Calai River (tributary of the Kunene), Cacanda, Angola.
It commonly inhabits rocky mountain slopes.
Behavior Nothing is known of its behavior, as less than 20 specimens have ever been collected.
Venom Nothing is known of the venom composition, and no bites have ever been recorded.
References
Further reading Bocage JVB du. 1889. Mélanges erpétologiques. II. Sur une Vipère apparemment nouvelle d'Angola. Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes, Academia Real das Sciencias de Lisboa, Segunda Série 1: 127-128. (Vipera heraldica, nov. sp.)