Vipera latastei
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| Vipera latastei | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vipera latastei Bosca, 1878 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Common names: Lataste's viper, snub-nosed viper.[2]
Vipera latastei is a venomous viper species found in extreme southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa.[1] Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.[3]
Description[edit]
Grows to a maximum length of about 72 cm, but usually less.[2]
Geographic range[edit]
Found in extreme southwestern Europe (France, Portugal and Spain) and northwestern Africa (the Mediterranean region of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). The type locality given is "Ciudad Real." Emended to "Valencia, Spanien" (Valencia, Spain) by Mertens and Müller (1928).[1]
Conservation status[edit]
This species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001). Listed as such because it is probably in significant decline (but likely at a rate of less than 30% over ten years) due to widespread habitat loss and persecution throughout much of its range, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable. Further population reduction is expected, but is not likely to exceed 30% over the next 10 years, but localized extinctions in parts of its range are possible (e.g., Tunisia). Year assessed: 2005.[4][5]
It is also listed as a strictly protected species (Appendix II) under the Berne Convention.[6]
Subspecies[edit]
| Species[3] | Authority[3] | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|
| V. l. gaditana | Saint-Girons, 1977 | Most of the Iberian peninsula south of the Pyrenees.[2] |
| V. l. latastei | Bosca, 1878 | Southern Spain and Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.[2][1] |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Vipera latastei (TSN 634994) at Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed 29 June 2007.
- ↑ Vipera latastei at IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
- ↑ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1)IUCN Red List. Accessed 6 October 2006.
- ↑ Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, Appendix II at Council of Europe. Accessed 9 October 2006.
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