Arab horned viper
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Arabian horned viper ( Cerastes gasperettii ) |
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| Cerastes gasperettii | ||||||||||||
| Leviton & Anderson , 1967 |
The Arabian horned viper ( Cerastes gasperettii ) is a species of the real vipers (Viperinae) and belongs to the genus of the African horned vipers .
features
The body, which is mostly light sand-colored, yellowish, brownish, grayish, pink or pale golden-brown in color, appears slightly stocky and has a pale light brown pattern of transverse bars. The belly side is whitish, the tip of the tail can be black. The body length is between 60 and 80 cm. The back is covered with 25–35 rows of scales, the underside of the body with 146–172 abdominal scales , which are followed by 30–41 sub- caudals after the anal .
As is typical for real vipers , the head is clearly separated from the body. The Arabian horned viper often has a horn above its eyes, consisting of a single, pointed scale. However, this can also be absent or completely absent in Cerastes gasperettii mendelssohni . The Arabian horned viper has 12–13 upper lip shields .
Way of life
The species is primarily nocturnal and moves around as a sidewinder . The prey spectrum of the species mainly includes ground-dwelling lizards , occasionally also small mammals or birds . With its body buried and only its eyes on the surface, it lurks for prey passing by. With the help of the keeled side scales, a rattling noise can be generated when threatened. In addition, when threatened, it rolls up in loops and hisses, and under certain circumstances it bites quickly. Cerastes gasperettii reproduces through oviparity , so it is egg-laying. The clutch comprises between 8 and 20 eggs.
toxicology
As a viper, Cerastes gasperettii produces a snake venom (toxin), which is injected into the bite wound via retractable tubular poison teeth in the anterior upper jaw. The toxin contains components which show procoagulative ( promoting hemostasis (blood clotting)) and hemorrhagic effects. Bite accidents and deaths do occur with this species, but are rare. Some sources speak of no well-documented deaths.
The substances serotonin , histamine , adenosine transport factors, phosphodiesterase (PDE), cyclooxygenases (COX), lipoxygenases and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), active as inflammation mediators, can be associated with typical inflammatory reactions that occur in the event of intoxication (poisoning) by Cerastes gasperettii bring. A protein in snake venom with a thrombin-like effect can be held responsible for the coagulative effect . After a poison bite, local symptoms such as pain, edema (accumulation of fluid in the tissue), redness, coagulopathy , hematoma (bleeding in body tissue; haemorrhagic effect) and locally limited swelling of the lymph nodes may occur. A specific antivenin is currently not known, but with 'Polyvalent Snake Antivenom' from the manufacturer National Antivenom and Vaccine Production Center (Saudi Arabia) a polyvalent antiserum is available.
Systematics
The Reptile Database distinguishes the following 2 subspecies :
- Cerastes gasperettii mendelssohni Werner & Sivan in Werner et al., 1999
- Cerastes gasperettii gasperettii Leviton & Anderson , 1967
The species used to be considered a subspecies of the desert horned viper ( Cerastes cerastes ).
Occurrence
The distribution area extends over the United Arab Emirates , Yemen , Oman , Israel , Jordan , Iraq , Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as probably the southwest of Iran . Cerastes gasperettii mendelssohni occurs in Israel and Jordan. The habitat is represented by deserts and semi-deserts with sandy subsoil. The bushland in the area is often populated by oases.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Venomous Animals - C; Armed Forces Pest Management Board ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Ratib M. El ‐ Oran, Walid N. Al ‐ Melhem, Zuhair S. Amr: Snakes of southern Jordan . In: Bolletino di zoologia . tape 61 , 2009, p. 359-367 , doi : 10.1080 / 11250009409355907 .
- ↑ a b c d Cerastes gasperettii in The Reptile Database ; Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ↑ a b Chris Mattison: Encyclopedia of the Snakes. blv Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8354-0360-4 .
- ↑ Pharmacological Characterization of rat paw edema induced by Cerstes gasperettii (cerastes) venom (PDF; 203 kB)
- ↑ University of Adelaide, Clinical Toxinology Resources: Cerastes gasperettii (accessed June 13, 2018)
- ↑ Ulrich Gruber: The snakes of Europe. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-440-05753-4 .
literature
- Mark O'Shea: Venomous snakes. All species in the world in their habitats. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10619-5 .
Web links
- Cerastes gasperettii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Egan, DM, Amr, ZSS, Al Johany, AMH, Els, J., Papenfuss, T., Nilson, G., Sadek, R., Disi, AM, Hraoui-Bloquet, S., Werner, YL & Anderson, S., 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.