Persian Trughorn Viper
| Persian Trughorn Viper | ||||||||||||
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Persian Trughorn Viper ( Pseudocerastes persicus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudocerastes persicus | ||||||||||||
| ( Duméril , Bibron & Duméril , 1854) |
The Persian Trughorn Viper ( Pseudocerastes persicus ) is a species of the genus of the Trughorn vipers ( Pseudocerastes ) within the Vipers (Viperidae). It is distributed over parts of the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan , Pakistan and India .
features
The Persian Trughorn Viper reaches an average length of 60 to 70 cm and a maximum length of up to 80 cm. The basic color ranges from gray to yellow-gray to gray-brown. On their backs the animals have a drawing made of dark crossbars, which, however, can also be very indistinct individually. The top of the head can have a subtle speckle, from the temple a dark band extends over the eyes to the corner of the mouth. The ventral side is light, mostly gray-white with a slight speckle.
The very broad head is clearly set off from the neck and has the shape of a triangle. The eyes are small and have vertical, elliptical pupils . Small horns are formed above the eyes, which, in contrast to those of the African horned vipers ( Cerastes ), are covered with several scales. The nostrils sit very high on the snout and also open upwards.
The top of the head is covered with many irregular and keeled scales. Below the eyes there are three rows of under-eye shields ( supraocularia ), underneath there are 13 upper lip shields ( supralabialia ). The dorsal scales of the body are also strongly keeled, while the flank scales are not keeled. Around the middle of the body there are between 23 and 25 rows of scales, while the closely related P. fieldi has only 21 to 21 rows. The under tail shields ( subcaudalia ) are divided.
distribution and habitat
The Persian Trughorn Viper is common in the desert and semi-deserts from northern Iran and Iraq across parts of the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan , Pakistan and India . The distribution area of P. fieldi connects to the west in Israel , Jordan and Lebanon .
The animals prefer semi-deserts with sandy soil and scree areas with little vegetation as their habitat . Rock crevices and small mammal structures are used as hiding places.
Way of life
The Persian Trughorn Viper is partly diurnal, especially in spring, but mainly nocturnal in summer and autumn. It feeds primarily on small mammals such as mice and rats, as well as other small animals such as birds and lizards. Their locomotion is meandering or crosswinding. When threatened, the snake flees or hisses loudly, but bites comparatively rarely.
It is egg-laying ( oviparous ) and lays 11 to 21 eggs. Mating takes place in May to June, eggs are laid in August and the young snakes hatch in early September.
Systematics
The Persian Trughorn Viper is one of three species recognized today within the Trughorn Vipers (Pseudocerastes). For a long time it was regarded as the only species of the genus, but today the former subspecies Pseudocerastes fieldi and the 2006 newly described Pseudocerastes urarachnoides are also differentiated.
Snake venom
The venom of the Persian Trughorn Viper is highly hemotoxic and medical treatment with an adequate antivenin is necessary.
supporting documents
- ↑ Pseudocerastes persicus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Ananjeva, N., Nilson, G., Anderson, SC, Andrén, C., Tok, V., Ugurtas, I., Sevinç, M., Böhme, W. & Crochet, P.-A., 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ Pseudocerastes fieldi in The Reptile Database
- ↑ H. Bostanchi, SC Anderson, HG Kami, TJ Papenfuss: A new species of Pseudocerastes with elaborate tail ornamentation from western Iran (Squamata: Viperidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series, Vol. 57 (14); Pp. 443-450.
- ↑ Pseudocerastes urarachnoides in The Reptile Database
literature
- David Mallow, David Ludwig, Göran Nilson: True Vipers. Natural History and Toxicology of Old World Vipers , Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar (Florida) 2003, pp. 213-218, ISBN 0-89464-877-2
- Ulrich Gruber: The snakes of Europe. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1989; Pages 205-207. ISBN 3-440-05753-4 .
Web links
- Pseudocerastes persicus in The Reptile Database
- Pseudocerastes persicus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Ananjeva, N., Nilson, G., Anderson, SC, Andrén, C., Tok, V., Ugurtas, I., Sevinç, M., Böhme, W. & Crochet, P.-A., 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2014.