Daboia

"Daboya" redirects here. For the place, see Daboya, Ghana.

Daboia is a genus of vipers.^[2]

Daboia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Viperinae
Genus:	Daboia Gray, 1842
Type species
Daboia russelii Shaw & Nodder, 1797
Synonyms[1]
Daboia Gray, 1842 Chersophis Fitzinger, 1843 Daboya Hattori, 1913

Species

The following four species are recognized as being valid:^[2]

• Daboia mauritanica (Duméril & Bibron, 1848) – Moorish viper
• Daboia palaestinae (F. Werner, 1938) – Palestine viper
• Daboia russelii (Shaw & Nodder, 1797) – Russell's viper
• Daboia siamensis (M.A. Smith, 1917) – eastern Russell's viper

In the future, more species may be added to Daboia. Obst (1983) reviewed the genus and suggested that it be extended to include Macrovipera lebetina, Daboia palaestinae, and M. xanthina. Groombridge (1980, 1986) united V. palaestinae and Daboia as a clade based on a number of shared apomorphies, including snout shape and head color pattern. Lenk et al. (2001)^[3] found support for this idea based on molecular evidence, suggesting that Daboia not only include V. palaestinae, but also D. mauritanica and M. deserti.^[4]