Vipera nikolskii is a venomous viper species found in Ukraine, eastern Romania, and southwestern Russia.[1][3] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
| Vipera nikolskii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Vipera |
| Species: | V. nikolskii |
| Binomial name | |
| Vipera nikolskii Vedmederja, Grubant & Rudajewa, 1986[1] | |
- Common names: Nikolsky's adder, forest-steppe adder.[2]
Etymology
The specific name, nikolskii, is in honor of Russian herpetologist Alexander Mikhailovich Nikolsky.[5]
Description
Adults of V. nikolskii are short and thick-bodied, growing to a maximum total length (including tail) of 680 mm (27 in).[2]
Geographic range
Vipera nikolskii is spread in Central Ukraine and southwestern Russia.[1][3] Mallow et al. (2003) mention that the distribution is concentrated in the forest-steppe zone of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.[2]
The type locality, according to Golay et al. (1993), is the banks of the Uda River, between Besljudovka and Vasishtshevo, near Kharkiv.[1]
Also, Vipera nikolskii was recently found in the eastern and southern part of Romania and Basarabia (Republic of Moldova) by Zinenko et al. (2010) and Strugariu & Zamfirescu (2008).It recently occurred on a ridge in the Low Tatras, Slovakia
References
Further reading
- Golay P, Smith HM, Broadley DG, Dixon JR, McCarthy CJ, Rage J-C, Schätti B, Toriba M (1993). Endoglyphs and Other Major Venomous Snakes of the World. A Checklist. Geneva: Azemiops. 478 pp.
- Strugariu A, Zamfirescu SR, Nicoară A, Gherghel I, Sas I, Pușcașu CM, Bugeac T (2008). "Preliminary data regarding the distribution of the herpetofauna in Iași County (Romania)". North-Western Journal of Zoology 4 (Supplement 1): S1-S23.
- Vedmederja VI, Grubant VN, Rudajewa AV (1986). ["On the taxonomy of the three viper species in the Vipera kaznakowi complex"]. In: Ananjeva N, Borkin L (editors). "Systematics and Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute, Leningrad 157: 55-61. (In Russian).
- Zinenko, Oleksandr; Țurcanu, Vladimir; Strugariu, Alexandru (2010). "Distribution and morphological variation of Vipera berus nikolskii Vedmederja, Grubant et Rudaeva, 1986 in Western Ukraine, The Republic of Moldova and Romania". Amphibia - Reptilia 31 (1): 51-67.
External links
- Vipera nikolskii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 September 2019.