Echis hughesi

From Citizendium
(Redirected from Somali carpet viper)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is basically copied from an external source and has not been approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.
The content on this page originated on Wikipedia and is yet to be significantly improved. Contributors are invited to replace and add material to make this an original article.
Echis hughesi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Viperinae
Genus: Echis
Species: E. hughesi
Binomial name
Echis hughesi
Cherlin, 1990
Synonyms
  • Echis [(Toxicoa)] hughesi - Cerlin, 1990
  • Echis hughesi - Golay et al., 1993[1]

Common names: Hughes' carpet viper, Somali carpet viper,[2] Hughes' saw-scaled viper.[3]  
 
Echis hughesi is a venomous viper species found in only in Somalia.[1] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]

Description

Grows to about 21-32 cm in length. The head scalation is similar to that of E. pyramidum. Midbody, there are 24-25 dorsal scales. The ventrals number 144-149 and the subcaudals 28-30. The color pattern varies, but generally consists of a series of pale, oblique, dorsal blotches set against a darker ground color.[2]

Geographic range

Found only in northern Somalia, in northern Migiurtinia, near Meledin. The type locality is listed as "Somalia, 10o02' [N lat.], 49o [E long.]."[1] Migiurtinia was the name of a region, or gobolka, in Somalia that is currently known as Bari and occupies about 70.000 km2 of the tip of the Horn of Africa.[5]

See also

Cited references

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 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. 2.0 2.1 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. Species Echis Hughesi at the Species2000 Database
  4. Echis hughesi (TSN 634969) at Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed 11 April 2007.
  5. Regions of Somalia at Statoids.com: Administrative Divisions of Countries