Vipera (; commonly known as the palaearctic vipersSpawls S, Branch B (1995). The Dangerous Snakes of Africa: Natural History, Species Directory, Venoms and Snakebite. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books / Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . and Eurasian vipers)Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The genus has a very wide range, being found from North Africa to just within the Arctic Circle, and from Great Britain to Pacific Asia. The Latin name vīpera is possibly derived from the Latin words vivus and pario, meaning "alive" and "bear" or "bring forth"; likely a reference to the fact that most vipers bear live young.Gotch, A[rthur]. F[rederick]. (1986). Reptiles ~ Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, UK: Blandford Press. 176 pp. . 21 species are recognized as being valid. Like all other vipers, the members of this genus are venomous.
Description Members of the genus Vipera tend to be stout and small in size. The largest of them, V. ammodytes, can reach a maximum total length (including tail) of , and the smallest, V. monticola, reaches a maximum total length of .
The head of the members of this genus is clearly distinct from the body, triangular in shape, and in most species covered in small scales. However, some species, notably V. berus, have small plates on the top of the head. Most species have large supraocular scales that tend to extend beyond the posterior margin of the eye. Some species also have some sort of "horn" on the head, either right behind the nasal scale, or behind the supraocular scales.
The color scheme and camouflage of the members of this genus vary widely, from a grayish ground color with dark brown transverse bands to browner colors with grey transverse bands edged with black in the case of V. ammodytes.
Geographic range Vipera species can be found all around the Old World, hence the common name of the genus, "Old World vipers". They can be found most notably in Europe, from Portugal to Turkey. They can also be found on some islands in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily, Elba and Montecristo), and in Great Britain. They can also be found in the Maghreb region of Africa with species living in Morocco (V. monticola) and northern parts of Algeria and Tunisia in the case of V. latastei. Many species can also be found in the Caucasus Mountains, parts of Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Syria. Only one species (V. berus) discovered so far lives in East Asia, most notably North Korea, northern China and northern Mongolia.
Habitat Most Vipera species prefer cooler environments. Those found at lower latitudes tend to prefer higher altitudes and dryer, rocky habitats, while the species that occur at more northern latitudes prefer lower elevations and environments that have more vegetation and moisture.
Behavior All species of the genus Vipera are terrestrial.
Reproduction All Vipera species are viviparous, giving birth to live young.
Venom Most Vipera species have venom that contains both neurotoxic and haemotoxic components. Bites vary widely in severity.
V. ammodytes is most likely the species with the most toxic venom. In a study solely involving mice, John Haynes Brown (1973) showed that the LD50 is about 1.2/mg/kg through an IV, 1.5 mg/Kg when injected in the peritoneum (IP), and 2.0 mg/kg when administered subcutaneously (SC).Brown, John Haynes (1973). Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. .
V. berus venom is considered to be on the lower end of the scale when it comes to toxicity. Minton (1974) suggests that the LD50 values for mice are about 0.55 mg/kg IV, 0.80 mg/kg IP, and 6.45 mg SC.Minton SA Jr (1974). Venom Diseases. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 256 pp. . Venom yield tends to be lower in this species with Minton citing 10–18 mg per bite in specimens , while Brown suggest only 6 mg for the same sized specimens.
However, bites from Vipera species are rarely as severe as those from larger Macrovipera or Daboia.
Fossil record The oldest species of the genus Vipera is the Early Miocene V. antiqua from Southern Germany.Szyndlar Z, Schleich H (1993) "Description of Miocene snakes from Petersbuch 2 with comments on the lower and middle Miocene ophidian faunas of southern Germany". Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde, Series B. Geologie und Palaontologie 192: 1-47. The earliest known V. antiqua fossil has been dated to 22.5 million years ago. A very large indeterminate Vipera was found in the Early Pliocene deposits of Mallorca. This species surpassed in size all modern relatives, with a length of nearly , and was one of the biggest predators of its ecosystem.Bailon, Salvador; Bover, Pere; Quintana, Josep; Alcover, Josep Antoni (2010). "First fossil record of Vipera Laurenti 1768 “Oriental vipers complex” (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Early Pliocene of the western Mediterranean islands". Comptes Rendus Palevol 9 (4): 147–154.
Species ImageSpeciesTaxon authorSubsp.*Common nameGeographic rangeV. altaicaTuniyev, Nilson & Andrén, 20100Eastern KazakhstanV. ammodytes(Linnaeus, 1758)4Horned viperNorth-eastern Italy, southern Slovakia, western Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece (including Macedonia and Cyclades), Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Syria.V. anatolicaEiselt & Baran, 19700Anatolian meadow vipersouthwestern TurkeyV. aspisT(Linnaeus, 1758)4Asp viperFrance, Andorra, northeastern Spain, extreme southwestern Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, the islands of Elba and Montecristo, Sicily, Italy, San Marino and northwestern Slovenia.V. berus(Linnaeus, 1758)3Common European adderFrom western Europe (Great Britain, Scandinavia, France) across central (Italy, Albania, Bulgaria and northern Greece) and eastern Europe to north of the Arctic Circle, and Russia to the Pacific Ocean, Sakhalin Island, North Korea, northern Mongolia and northern China.V. darevskiiVedmederja, Orlov & Tuniyev, 19860Darevsky's viperThe southeastern Dzavachet Mountains in Armenia and adjacent areas in Georgia.V. dinnikiNikolsky, 19130Dinnik's viperRussia (Great Caucasus) and Georgia (high mountain basin of the Inguri River), eastward to Azerbaijan.V. eriwanensis(Reuss, 1933)2Alburzi viper, Armenian steppe viperArmenia, northwestern Iran, northeastern TurkeyV. graecaNilson & Andrén, 19880Greek meadow viperAlbania and GreeceV. kaznakoviNikolsky, 19090Caucasus viperNortheastern Turkey, Georgia and Russia (eastern Black Sea coast.V. latasteiBoscá, 18783Lataste's viperExtreme southwestern Europe (France, Portugal and Spain) and northwestern Africa (the Mediterranean region of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).V. lotieviNilson, Tuniyev, Orlov, Höggren & Andrén, 19950Caucasian meadow viperThe higher range of the Big Caucasus: Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.V. monticolaH. Saint-Girons, 19540Atlas mountain viperHigh Atlas Mountains, Morocco.V. nikolskii Vedmederja, Grubant & Rudajewa, 19860Ukraine, central and southern Russia, Romania, MoldovaV. orlovi www.reptile-database.org.Tuniyev & Ostrovskikh, 20010Orlov's viperBeolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Vipera orlovi, pp. 196-197).Western Caucasus.V. renardi(Christoph, 1861)5Steppe viperUkraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tadzikistan, Mongolia, and China.V. sakoiTuniyev, Avcı, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 20180TurkeyV. seoaneiLataste, 18791Baskian viperExtreme southwestern France and the northern regions of Spain and Portugal.V. transcaucasianaBoulenger, 19130Transcaucasian long-nosed viperRepublic of Georgia, northwestern Azerbaijan, northern Turkey, and Iran.V. ursinii(Bonaparte, 1835)0Meadow viperSoutheastern France, eastern Austria (extinct), Hungary, central Italy, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, northern and northeastern Albania, Romania, northern Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, northwestern Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and across the Kazakhstan, Kirgizia and eastern Uzbekistan steppes to China (Xinjiang).V. walserGhielmi, Menegon, Marsden, Laddaga & Ursenbacher, 20160Piedmont viperNorthwestern Italy in the Pennine Alps. * Not including the nominate subspecies. T: type species
Nota bene: A taxon author in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Vipera.
References
Further reading Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London: Collins. 272 pp. . (Genus Vipera, pp. 211, 214). Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the ... Viperidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I–XXV. (Genus Vipera, pp. 471–472.) Laurenti JN (1768). Specimen medicum, exhibens synopsin reptilium emendatam cum experimentis circa venena et antidota reptilium austriacorum. Vienna: Joan. Thom. Nob. de Trattnern. 214 pp. + Plates I–V. (Genus Vipera, p. 99). (in Latin).
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