Echis pyramidum

Echis pyramidum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Viperinae
Genus:	Echis
Species:	E. pyramidum
Binomial name
Echis pyramidum (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827)
Synonyms
Scythale pyramidum - Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire In Savigny, 1827 [Echis] arenicola - F. Boie, 1827 Echis pavo - Reuss, 1834 Echis varia - Reuss, 1834 Vipera echis - Schlegel, 1837 Vipera pyramidarum - Schlegel, 1837 Echis [(Toxicoa)] arenicola - Gray, 1849 Toxicoa arenicola - Günther, 1858 Echis carinatus - Boulenger, 1896 Echis carinatus pyramidum - Constable, 1949 Echis p[yramidum]. pyramidum - Cherlin, 1983 Echis pyramidum - Joger, 1984 Echis [(Toxicoa)] pyramidum pyramidum - Cherlin, 1990 Echis [(Toxicoa)] pyramidum lucidus - Cherlin, 1990 Echis [(Toxicoa)] varia varia - Cherlin, 1990 Echis [(Toxicoa)] varia borkini - Cherlin, 1990 Echis [(Toxicoa)] varia darevskii - Cherlin, 1990 Echis pyramidum pyramidum - Golay et al., 1993[1]

Common names: Northeast African carpet viper,^[2] Egyptian saw-scaled viper,^[3] more.

Echis pyramidum is a species of venomous viper found mainly in north-east Africa, but also in parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.^[4]

Description

E. pyramidum

The average length is 30–60 cm with a maximum of 85 cm (possibly slightly more).^[2]

Common names

Northeast African carpet viper,^[2] Egyptian saw-scaled viper,^[3] Egyptian carpet viper, Geoffroy's carpet viper.^[5]

Geographic range

In north-east Africa it occurs in northern Egypt, central Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya. There are also scattered populations in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula in western Saudi Arabia (south of the 18^th parallel), Yemen, South Yemen (in Hadhramaut) and in Oman. The type locality given is "Egypte" (Egypt).^[1]

Disjunct populations reportedly occur in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and northern Egypt. It is absent in southern Egypt.^[2][3]

Subspecies

Subspecies[4]	Taxon author[4]	Geographic range[3]
E. p. aliaborri	Drews & Sacherer, 1974	Northern Kenya
E. p. leakeyi	Stemmler & Sochurek, 1969	Northwestern Kenya, Southwest Ethiopia
E. p. pyramidum	(Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827)	Southern Arabia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

See also

• List of viperine species and subspecies
• Viperinae by common name
• Viperinae by taxonomic synonyms
• Snakebite

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 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. ^ ^{a b c d} Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} 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.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Echis pyramidum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634974. Retrieved 2 August 2006. 
5. ^ Echis pyramidum at Munich AntiVenom INdex. Accessed 3 August 2007.

External links

• Echis pyramidum at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 August 2007.
• Echis pyramidum pyramidum (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827) at Tomáš Mazuch. Accessed 24 November 2007.
• Echis pyramidum lucidus Cherlin, 1990 at Tomáš Mazuch. Accessed 24 November 2007.