Misplaced Pages

Gloydius cognatus

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of Asian snake

Gloydius cognatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Gloydius
Species: G. cognatus
Binomial name
Gloydius cognatus
Gloyd, 1977

Gloydius cognatus, or the Alashan pitviper, is a species of Asian moccasin from North West China and Mongolia. As with all pit vipers it is venomous, and it is considered the most toxic species of Gloydius in China.

Description

Considered a small viper, growing to 59 cm, the Alashan pitviper is distinguished from similar species by its specific scale counts as well as its banded pattern including 29-43 dark bands.

Habitat

The Alashan pitviper has been known to in habit desert or desertification grassland at elevations above 1300 m to above 3000 m, preferring temperate, rock/gravel areas with low rainfall.

Reproduction

Gloydius cognatus is known to be viviparous.

Taxonomy

G. cognatus has previously been considered a subspecies of G. halys, and a synonym of G. brevicaudus and either G. strauchi or G. intermedius. It is now elevated to its own separate species, and is theorised to have split from G. halys and G. intermedius during the pleistocene.

While multiple distinct clades of G. cognatus have been recognised as of 2023, no subspecies are currently recognised.

References

  1. ^ Xu, Rui; Dujsebayeva, Tatjana N.; Chen, Dali; Mijidsuren, Byambasuren; Xu, Feng; Guo, Xianguang (January 2023). "Phylogeography and Ecological Niche Modeling of the Alashan Pit Viper (Gloydius cognatus; Reptilia, Viperidae) in Northwest China and Adjacent Areas". Animals. 13 (23): 3726. doi:10.3390/ani13233726. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 10705372. PMID 38067077.
  2. ^ "Gloydius cognatus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  3. Wagner, Philipp; Tiutenko, Arthur; Mazepa, Glib; Borkin, Leo J.; Simonov, Evgeniy (2016-01-01). "Alai! Alai! – a new species of the Gloydius halys (Pallas, 1776) complex (Viperidae, Crotalinae), including a brief review of the complex". Amphibia-Reptilia. 37 (1): 15–31. doi:10.1163/15685381-00003026. ISSN 1568-5381.
  4. Biological Society of Washington; Washington, Biological Society of; Washington, Biological Society of; Washington, Biological Society of; Institution, Smithsonian; Institution, Smithsonian (1977). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Vol. v.90 (1977). Washington: Biological Society of Washington.
  5. Asadi, Atefeh; Montgelard, Claudine; Nazarizadeh, Masoud; Moghaddasi, Akram; Fatemizadeh, Faezeh; Simonov, Evgeniy; Kami, Haji Gholi; Kaboli, Mohammad (2019-02-04). "Evolutionary history and postglacial colonization of an Asian pit viper (Gloydius halys caucasicus) into Transcaucasia revealed by phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 1224. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.1224A. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37558-8. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6362119. PMID 30718614.
Taxon identifiers
Gloydius cognatus


Stub icon

This Alethinophidia article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: