Vipera aspis atra

Vipera aspis atra
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
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]

Geographic range

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

Conservation status

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

Taxonomy

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

See also

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

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". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=635251. Retrieved 15 August 2006. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Vipera aspis at the Reptarium.cz 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.

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.