Vipera bornmuelleri

Vipera bornmuelleri
Conservation status
Endangered (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. bornmuelleri
Binomial name
Vipera bornmuelleri Werner, 1898
Synonyms
Lachesis libanotica - Hemprich, 1827 (nomen nudum) Vipera Bornmülleri - Werner, 1898 Vipera lebetina var. bornmülleri - Werner, 1902 Coluber bornmülleri - Nikolsky, 1916 Vipera bornmülleri - Werner, 1922 Vipera bornmülleri - Werner, 1936 Vipera bornmuelleri - Mertens, 1967 Daboia (Daboia) raddei bornmuelleri - Obst, 1983 Vipera bonnmulleri - Khole, 1991 Vipera xanthina bornmuelleri - Golay et al., 1993[1]

Common names: Bornmueller's viper.^[2]

Vipera bornmuelleri is a venomous viper species found in Lebanon and Syria. No subspecies are currently recognized.^[3]

Description

Grows to a maximum length of about 75 cm, but usually much less. Males tend to be larger than females in some populations. In specimens from Mt. Lebanon, the maximum lengths were 47.3 cm for females and 53.8 cm for males. The tail accounts for about 7-10% of the total body length.^[2]

Geographic range

It is found in high mountain areas in Lebanon and Syria.^[1][4]

The original syntypes were collected in Lebanon at 1800 m. and in the Bolkar mountains of western Turkey at 2200 m. as described by Werner in 1898.^[5][6] In 1922, Werner restricted the designation to Lebanon in his designation of his specimens as a lectotype,^[7] and in 1938 separated out the southern varieties as a separate species (Vipera palaestinae).^[8] In 1967 Mertens raised the name bornmuellerwi to valid rank for the Lebanese populations,^[9] thus leaving the name xanthina for all Turkish populations, which arrangement was accepted by Baran in 1976,^[10] and agreed with by Nilson and Andrén in their 1985 paper.^[1][6]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: B1ab(iii) (v3.1, 2001).^[4] This indicates that it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild because the extent of its occurrence within its geographic range is estimated to be less than 20,000 km², because its populations are severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than 10 locations, and because a continued decline is observed, inferred or projected in the area, extent and/or quality of its habitat.^[11]

Listed as such because its extent of occurrence is less than 5,000 km², its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its mountain habitat due to overgrazing. Year assessed: 2005.^[4]

See also

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

References

1. ^ ^{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).
2. ^ ^{a b} 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.
3. ^ "Vipera bornmuelleri". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634989. Retrieved 16 August 2006. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Montivipera bornmuelleri at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.
5. ^ Werner, F. (1898) "Über einige neue Reptilien und einen neuen Frosch aus dem cilicischen Taurus" Zoologischer Anzeiger 21: pp. 217-223
6. ^ ^{a b} Nilson, Goran and Andrén, Claes (1985) "Systematics of the Vipera xanthina Complex (Reptilia: Viperidae). III. Taxonomic Status of the Bulgar Dagh Viper in South Turkey" Journal of Herpetology '19(2): pp. 276-283, p.276
7. ^ Werner, F. (1922) "Synopsis der Schlangenfamilien der Amblycephalidae und Viperidae" Archiv für Naturgeschichte 88A: pp. 185-244
8. ^ Werner, F. (1938) "Eine verkannte Vipera (Vipera palaestinae n. sp.)" Zoologischer Anzeiger 122: pp. 313-318
9. ^ Mertens (1967) "Über Lachesis libanotica und den Status von Vipera bornmuelleri" Senckenbergiana Biologica 48(3): pp. 153-159
10. ^ Baran, I. (1976) "Tiirkiye yilanlarinin taksonomik revizyonu ve cografi dagilislari" TBTAK Yayinlari No. 309, T.B.A.G. Seri. No. 9, Ankara, 177 pp.
11. ^ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.

External links

• Vipera bornmuelleri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 2 September 2007.