Vipera aspis francisciredi
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Common names: (none).
Vipera aspis francisciredi is a venomous viper subspecies[2] found in central Italy.[3] Indeed, it inhabits most of Italy, where it is the most common and widely distributed venomous snake.[4]
Description
Head distinctly swollen behind the eyes and upper lips; in adults, these features are clearly visible when viewed from above.[3]
Regarding the color pattern, many examples of this species have a white or cream colored spot near the outer edge of the ventral scales; these are smaller in V. a. aspis (if at all present), but much more apparent in V. a. francisciredi.[3]
Geographic range
Street (1979) describes this subspecies as inhabiting most of Italy, where it is the most common and widely distributed venomous snake. It also occurs in the Swiss canton of Ticino, south of the Monte Ceneri pass, but is not found west of nearby Lake Maggiore. Also in the north, in Trentino-South Tyrol, it can be found about as far northwards as Merano, but is not found in Austria, and as far east as Gorizia (on the border with Slovenia). In the south of Italy, it is absent from Basilicata and Calabria.[4]
In the former Yugoslavia, it is a rare inhabitant of the Julian Alps (Pozzi, 1966). There have been reports of specimens from Ripanj near Belgrade, Jahorin in Bosnia and other part of Yugoslavia, but some of these may have been confused with V. berus bosniensis.[4] Nevertheless, the EMBL describes the range of this subspecies as stretching from southern Switzerland, northern and central Italy, to Slovenia and northwestern Croatia.[5]
The type locality listed by Laurenti (1768) for Vipera Francisci Redi (= V. a. francisciredi) is "Austriaco & Italico" (Austria and Italy).[1]
Conservation status
This subspecies is classified as Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).[6][7]
See also
- Vipera aspis.
- List of viperine species and subspecies.
- True vipers - Common names.
- True vipers - Synonymy.
- Snakebite.
Cited references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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).
- ↑ Vipera aspis francisciredi (TSN 635253). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 15 August 2006.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Street D. 1979. The Reptiles of Northern and Central Europe. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. 268 pp. ISBN 0-7134-1374-3.
- ↑ Species Vipera aspis at the Species2000 Database
- ↑ Vipera aspis at IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
- ↑ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1)IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
Other references
- Pozzi A. 1966. Geonemia e catalogo ragionato degli Anfibi e Rettili della Jugoslavia. Natura, 51(i) pp. 1-55, Milan.