Vipera graeca
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| Vipera graeca | |
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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: | Vipera |
| Species: | V. graeca
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| Binomial name | |
| Vipera graeca Nilson & Andrén, 1988
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Vipera Graeca, commonly known as the Greek Meadow Viper or Greek Viper, is a species of viper found in Albania and Greece, named after its presence in Greek meadows[1]. As with all vipers, the Greek Viper is venomous[1]. The Greek Viper was only recently (2020) classified as its own species, and was previously thought to be a subspecies of Vipera ursinii, but has many morphological and molecular differences.
Description
V. graeca have a relatively small body size, with around a 40-44cm maximum snout-vent size depending on sex, with females being larger, and around a 4-5cm maximum tail length, with males' tails being longer, which is smaller than the reported maximum of V. ursinii.[1] V. graeca also vary from V. ursinii in number and morphology of scales as well as colouring. Though some pattern similarity between Greek and Meadow Vipers can be faintly seen in some male and juvenile Greek Vipers they are different, with no dark spots on their labial, lateral and dorsal sides of the head, with the exception of occipital and post orbital stripes.[2] They also display a white/brownish-grey ventral colour, and sharp zigzag pattern.[2]
V. graeca also varies from V. ursinii by scales. The nasal scale is divided into two plates, alternatively it is united with nasorostralia..[2] The rostral scale is as high as it is broad.[2] Greek Vipers have 2–8 loreals, 13–20 circumoculars, 7–20 crown scales, 6-8 supralabials on each side, 7-10 sublabials on each side; 3–5 mental scales, 120–129 ventrals in males and 119–133 in females, and the lowest number of subcaudals in their whole complex - 21–29 subcaudals in males, 13–26 subcaudals in females[1]. Their upper preocular is not separated from their nasal scales[2]. They have more fragmented parietals[1]. Their first three supralabials are two times larger than the others[1]. Their third supralabial is below orbit[1]. They display early dorsal scale row reduction[1]
Distribution
Greek Meadow Vipers are named after their habitat of greek mountain meadows. They are most common at high elevations, 1600-2300m, of the Hellenides mountain range[3] as well as the center of the Pindos mountain range, where the limestone ground is grassy and populated with shrubs (near which most observed Greek Vipers have been found[3]).[1] In these areas, annual temperatures reach an average of ~6°C with snow laying until summer.[1]
Diet
The diet of the Greek Meadow Viper generally consists of insects, (specificially Orthoptera). Wing-buzzing grasshoppers, bush crickets, and wart-biters appear to be the most frequent prey.[3]
Predation
The red fox, common kestrel and short-toed snake eagle are the only known predators of V. graeca.[3]
Taxonomic History
V. graeca was first officially described in 1988 by Nilson and Andrén as V. ursinii graeca, as they believed it was a sub species of V. ursinii.[2]
In 2012, after molecular analysis of its DNA, it was posited for the first time that V. graeca was its own individual species.[4]
In 2020 V. graeca was officially recognised as a distinct Vipera species in the Species list of the European herpetofauna.[5]
Reproduction
V. graeca is ovoviviparous.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Vipera graeca". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Nilson, Goran; Andren, Claes (July 1988). "A new subspecies of the subalpine meadow viper, Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte) (Reptilia, Viperidae), from Greece". Zoologica Scripta. 17 (3): 311–314. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.1988.tb00106.x. ISSN 0300-3256. S2CID 83552111.
- ^ a b c d Mizsei, Edvárd; Üveges, Bálint; Vági, Balázs; Szabolcs, Márton; Lengyel, Szabolcs; Pfliegler, Walter P.; Nagy, Zoltán T.; Tóth, János P. (2016-01-01). "Species distribution modelling leads to the discovery of new populations of one of the least known European snakes, Vipera ursinii graeca, in Albania". Amphibia-Reptilia. 37 (1): 55–68. doi:10.1163/15685381-00003031. ISSN 1568-5381.
- ^ Ferchaud, Anne-Laure; Ursenbacher, Sylvain; Cheylan, Marc; Luiselli, Luca; Jelić, Dušan; Halpern, Bálint; Major, Ágnes; Kotenko, Tatiana; Keyan, Najme; Behrooz, Roozbeh; Crnobrnja-Isailović, Jelka; Tomović, Ljiljana; Ghira, Ioan; Ioannidis, Yannis; Arnal, Véronique (October 2012). "Phylogeography of the Vipera ursinii complex (Viperidae): mitochondrial markers reveal an east–west disjunction in the Palaearctic region". Journal of Biogeography. 39 (10): 1836–1847. Bibcode:2012JBiog..39.1836F. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02753.x. ISSN 0305-0270. S2CID 83492151.
- ^ Speybroeck, J., Beukema, W., Dufresnes, C., Fritz, U., Jablonski, D., Lymberakis, P., Martínez-Solano, I., Razzetti, E., Vamberger, M., Vences, M., Vörös, J., & Crochet, P. (2020). Species list of the European herpetofauna – 2020 update by the Taxonomic Committee of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica. Amphibia-Reptilia, 41(2), 139-189. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10010