Vipera dinniki

Vipera dinniki
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Viperinae
Genus:	Vipera
Species:	V. dinniki
Binomial name
Vipera dinniki Nikolsky, 1909
Synonyms
Vipera berus dinniki - Nikolsky, 1913 Coluber berus dinniki - Nikolsky, 1916 Vipera tigrina - Zarevskij, 1917 Mesocoronis (Tzarevscya) tigrina - Reuss, 1929 Vipera kaznakowi dinnicki - Darevskij, 1956 Vipera kaznakowi orientalis - Vedmederja, 1984 Vipera dinnicki - Vedmederja, Grubant & Rudajeva, 1986 Vipera dinniki - Orlov & Tuniyev, 1990[1]

Common names: Dinnik's viper, Caucasus subalpine viper.^[2]

Vipera dinniki is a venomous viper species found in Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.^[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.^[3]

Description

Of the 49 Russian specimens examined by Orlov and Tuniyev (1990), 29 were males and the largest measured 41.2 cm. Of the 20 females, the largest was 48.6 cm in length.^[2]

Geographic range

Russia (Great Caucasus) and Georgia (high mountain basin of the Inguri River), eastward to Azerbaijan. According to Nikolsky (1916), the type locality is "upper reaches of the Malaya Laba 8000 feet above sea level ... and Svanetia, 7000 feet above sea level." According to Nilson et al. (1995), Vedmederja et al. (1986) restricted it to "Malaya Laba" through lectotype selection. Orlov and Tuniyev (1990) give the lectotype locality as "Upper reaches of the Malaya (Small) Bolshaya Laba River, Northern Caucasus".^[1]

Conservation status

This species is classified Vulnerable (VU) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: C1+2a (v2.3, 1994).^[4] This indicates that the population is estimated to number less than 10,000 mature individuals. A continued decline of at least 10% is expected within 10 years or three generations, whichever is longer. In addition, a continued decline is expected due to a severely fragmented population structure, with no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 1,000 mature individuals. Year assessed: 1996.^[5]

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 dinniki". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=634992. Retrieved 17 August 2006. 
4. ^ Vipera dinniki at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.
5. ^ 1994 Categories & Criteria (version 2.3) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 2 September 2007.

Further reading

• Nilson G, Tuniyev BS, Orlov NL, Höggren M, Andrén C. 1995. Systematics of the vipers of the Caucasus: Polymorphism or sibling species? Asiatic Herpetological Research 6:1-26.
• Orlov NL, Tuniyev BF. 1990. Three species in the Vipera kaznakowi complex (Eurosiberian Group) in the Caucasus: Their present distribution, possible genesis, and phylogeny. Asiatic Herpetological Research 3:1-36.

External links

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