Vipera ursinii

Vipera ursinii is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. It is a very rare species, which is in danger of extinction. This species is commonly called the meadow viper, Ursini' s viper,^[4] or meadow adder.^[5] It is found in France, Italy, as well as much of eastern Europe.^[6] Several subspecies are recognized.^[7]

Vipera ursinii
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2][note 1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Vipera
Species:	V. ursinii
Binomial name
Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835)
Synonyms[3]
Coluber foetidus Güldenstädt In Georgi, 1801 Pelias Ursinii Bonaparte, 1835 [P[elias]. berus] Var. Ursinii — Cope, 1860 Pelias chersea vel Ursinii — Cope, 1860 Pelias Renardi Christoph, 1861 [Vipera berus] var. rákosiensis Méhelÿ, 1893 Vipera ursinii — Boulenger, 1893 Vipera renardi — Boulenger, 1893 Vipera ursinii var. rakosiensis Méhely, 1894 Vipera ursinii — Boulenger, 1896 Vipera renardi — Boulenger, 1896 Vipera macrops Méhely, 1911 Vipera ursinii macrops — Bolkay, 1924 Vipera (Pelias) ursinii forma trans. rudolphi A.F. Reuss, 1924 Acridophaga ursinii — A.F. Reuss, 1927 Vipera ursinii ursinii — L. Müller, 1927 Coluber ursinoides Nikolsky, 1927 Peilas berus var. uralensis A.F. Reuss, 1929 (nomen nudum) Acridophaga uralensis — A.F. Reuss, 1929 Vipera berus var. rakosiensis — F. Werner, 1929 A[cridophaga]. (renardi) eriwanensis A.F. Reuss, 1933 Vipera ursinii renardi — Schwarz, 1936 Vipera ursinii macrops — Schwarz, 1936 Acridophaga ursini — F. Werner, 1938 Vipera berus var. renardi — Başoğlu, 1947 Vipera ursinii rakosiensis — Knoepffler & Sochurek, 1955 Vipera ursinii ebneri Knoepffler & Sochurek, 1955 Vipera ursinii wettsteini Knoepffler & Sochurek, 1955 Vipera orsinii Ghidini, 1958 Vipera ursinii ursinii — Kramer, 1961 Vipera ursinii rudolphi Kramer, 1961 Acridophaga eriwanensis — Kramer, 1961 Vipera ursinii anatolica Eiselt & Baran, 1970 Vipera ursinii renardi — Saint-Girons, 1978 Vipera (Vipera) ursinii ursinii — Obst, 1983 Vipera (Vipera) ursinii macrops — Obst, 1983 Vipera (Vipera) ursinii rakosiensis — Obst, 1983 Vipera (Vipera) ursinii renardi — Obst, 1983 Vipera (Vipera) ursinii wettsteini — Obst, 1983 Vipera ursinii eriwanensis — Nilson, Andrén & Flärdh, 1988 Vipera ursinii graeca Nilson & Andrén, 1988 V[ipera]. ursinii rakoniensis — González, 1991 Vipera ursinii — Latifi, 1991 Vipera ursinii moldavica Nilson, Andrén & Joger, 1993

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, ursinii, is in honor of Italian naturalist Antonio Orsini (1788–1870).^[8][9]

Description

Adults of V. ursini average 40–50 cm (15.75–19.69 inches) in total length (including tail), although specimens of 63–80 cm (24.8–31.5 inches) in total length have been reported.^[4] Females are larger than males. Although sometimes confused with V. aspis or V. berus, it differs from them in the following characters. The smallest viper in Europe, its body is thick, its head narrow, and its appearance rough. The snout is not upturned. There are always several large scales or plates on the top of the head. The prominently keeled dorsal scales are in only 19 rows, and often dark skin shows between them. It is gray, tan, or yellowish with a dark undulating dorsal stripe, which is edged with black.^[10]

Common names

Meadow viper, Ursini's viper,^[4] meadow adder,^[5] Orsini's viper, field viper,^[11] field adder.^[12] Although the following subspecies are currently invalid according to the taxonomy used here, their common names may still be encountered:

• V. u. ursinii – Italian meadow viper.^[11]
• V. u. macrops – karst viper,^[11] karst adder.^[5]
• V. u. rakosiensis – Danubian meadow viper.^[11]
• V. renardi – steppe viper,^[11] steppe adder, Renard's viper.^[5]
• V. u. moldavica – Moldavian meadow viper.

Geographic range

Southeastern France, eastern Austria (extinct), Hungary, central Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,^[13] northern and northeastern Republic of Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania and Romania. The species has likely gone extinct in Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine.

Vipera ursinii rakosiensis is native to Hungary^[14] although the taxonomic status of this subspecies is disputed (see section "Taxonomy")

The type locality is " ...monti dell'Abruzzo prossimi alla provincia d'Ascoli... " (...mountains of Abruzzo near the Province of Ascoli Piceno, Italy...).^[3]

Conservation status

The species Vipera ursinii is considered to be a Vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, due to habitat destruction caused by changes in agricultural practices and climate change in mountain areas, and to collection for the pet trade.^[15]

In addition, this species is listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits commercial international trade,^[16] and is a strictly protected species (Appendix II) under the Berne Convention.^[17]

V. ursinii is the most threatened snake in Europe. At least 12 human activities are threatening these animals: 1. Grazing 2. Mowing 3. Fire 4. Agriculture 5. Roads 6. Constructions 7. Leisure Activities 8. Afforestation 9. Cynegetic species management 10. Persecution 11. Illegal collection 12. Littering

Taxonomy

There is high genetic diversity within samples of Vipera ursinii and several species may be involved. At least six subspecies may be encountered in modern literature:^[3]

• Vipera ursinii ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835)
• Vipera ursinii eriwanensis (A.F. Reuss, 1933)
• Vipera ursinii graeca Nilson & Andrén, 1988
• Vipera ursinii macrops Méhelÿ, 1911
• Vipera ursinii moldavica Nilson, Andrén & Joger, 1993
• Vipera ursinii rakosiensis Méhely, 1893
• Vipera ursinii renardi Christoph, 1861

Golay et al. (1993) recognize the first four,^[3] while Mallow et al. (2003) recognize five and list V. eriwanensis and V. renardi as valid species.^[4] However, McDiarmid et al. (1999), and thus ITIS, feel that more definitive data is necessary before any subspecies can be recognized.^[3] Presently there are four recognised subspecies of Vipera ursinii. Vipera eriwanensis, Vipera graeca and Vipera renardi are all recognised as distinct species.

Notes

1. Only populations of Europe, except areas that formerly constituted the USSR (populations in that area, and all other areas, are not included in the Appendices.