Toad vipers

Toad vipers
	Common toad viper ( Causus rhombeatus )
Systematics
without rank:	Toxicofera
Subordination :	Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily :	Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family :	Vipers (Viperidae)
Subfamily :	Real vipers (Viperinae)
Genre :	Toad vipers
Scientific name
	Causus
	Wagler , 1830

The toad vipers ( Causus ), also called toad or night adders , are a genus in the subfamily of the real vipers (Viperinae). The distribution of the six species is restricted to Africa ; they are possibly the most original living representatives of all vipers, along with the Asian Fea viper ( Azemiops feae ).

Systematics

More recent molecular genetic studies classify them as a sister genus of the clade formed from Echis (sand rattle otters) and Cerastes (African horned vipers) deep within the real vipers (Viperinae). In earlier work, however, they - like the Asian Fea viper ( Azemiops feae ) - were set as very original vipers in a separate subfamily directly in the family of the vipers (Viperidae). This subfamily was called Causinae.

Features and types

All species are nocturnal and eat frogs . The size is usually 60 cm, rarely up to 100 cm. A total of six species are placed in the genus:

the two-lined toad viper ( Causus bilineatus ) occurs from Angola to Rwanda .
the snouted toad viper or Defilippis night otter ( Causus defilippii ) is common from Kenya to South Africa.
the green night otter ( Causus resimus ) inhabits eastern Africa from Somalia to Mozambique .
the Lichtenstein's night otter ( Causus lichtensteini ) and
the West African toad viper ( Causus maculatus ) are rainforest species from West and Central Africa.
the common toad viper ( Causus rhombeatus ) inhabits southern Africa.

Poisonous effect

When disturbed, toad otters usually bite wildly. Their very large poison glands, which extend far into the neck region, produce large amounts of poison. This poison is not particularly effective in humans, bites usually only result in local swelling and pain at the bite site, and human deaths are extremely rare.

literature

David Mallow, David Ludwig, Göran Nilson: True Vipers. Natural History and Toxicology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company Malabar, Florida 2003, ISBN 0-89464-877-2 , pp. 19-34.

Individual evidence

^ W. Wüster, L. Peppin, CE Pook, DE Walker: A nesting of vipers: phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Viperidae (Squamata: Serpentes) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . tape 49 , 2008, p. 445-459 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2008.08.019 .
↑ The Reptile Database: Higher Taxa in Extant Reptiles - Ophidia (Serpentes) - Snakes.
^ Causus in The Reptile Database

Web links

Commons : Toad Vipers ( Causus ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

[w08-1] W. Wüster, L. Peppin, CE Pook, DE Walker: A nesting of vipers: phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Viperidae (Squamata: Serpentes) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . tape 49 , 2008, p. 445-459 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2008.08.019 .

[higher-2] The Reptile Database: Higher Taxa in Extant Reptiles - Ophidia (Serpentes) - Snakes.

[rd-3] Causus in The Reptile Database