| Atheris rungweensis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Atheris |
| Species: | A. rungweensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Atheris rungweensis Bogert, 1940 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Atheris rungweensis, commonly known as the Rungwe tree viper, Mt Rungwe bush viper, and Rungwe leaf viper, is a species of viper found in East Africa.
Taxonomy
The specific name is derived from the species type locality in the Rungwe Mountains. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of Atheris nitschei.
Description
It grows to a maximum length (body + tail) of 65 cm (26 in). At midbody, it has 22–33 dorsal scale rows. The ventral scales number 150–165, and the subcaudals 46–58.
The color pattern is variable, with a ground color that ranges from bright green to green to black. Usually, this is overlaid with a pair of yellow dorsolateral zigzag lines. A row of yellow spots on the sides of the ventral scales may also be present. Specimens from the Sumbawanga region usually have a green yellow and black color pattern. Neonates are a dark brown or gray, but with a bright yellow tail tip.
Distribution and habitate
Atheris rungweensis is known from scattered locations from south-western Tanzania to north-eastern Zambia and south to the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi.
Atheris rungweensis is usually found in low bushes along streams and at the edges of mountain forests at altitudes of 800–2,000 m (2,600–6,600 ft). Occasionally, it is encountered in moist savanna, woodland, and hill forest habitats.
References
- ^ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington., District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ Atheris rungweensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 September 2021.
- ^ Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.
- ^ Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2.
- Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ Spawls S, Howell K, Drewes R, Ashe J. 2004. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd. 543 pp. ISBN 0-7136-6817-2.
- Atheris rungweensis at The World Of Atheris. Accessed 9 September 2007.
Further reading
- Bogert CM. 1940. Herpetological Results of the Vernay Angola Expedition, with Notes on the African Reptiles in Other Collections. Part I. — Snakes, Including an Arrangement of African Colubridae. Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. 77: 1-107 + Plate I. ("Atheris nitschei rungweensis, new species", pp. 104–106, Figure 18).
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Atheris rungweensis | |