H3, E7, LI, Ql 

 H5, Jl, K3, L3 



Jl 



Ml 



Disposition of specimens [and number of specimens] from 

 countries as follows: 



USSR A56, B25 



Afghanistan Cl, El, G2 



Pakistan G47, D2, El, G3 , 



India Al, C3 , D4 , E13, 02 



Sri Lanka Al, N5 , Q3 



Iran All, E6 , Gil, M4 , N2 



Arabia Gil, H3 , K4, Q24, C6 , K2, 



Libya A5 , G14, J4 , L4, M18 



Algeria Dl, Nl, PI, Ql 



Morocco D2, E2, Jl, L2 



Nauretania Ml 



Mali Jl 



Senegal M22 



Cameroons K3 



Upper Volta Kl 



Benin M6 



Togo M2 



Nigeria Dl 



Sudan Cl, D9 , Gl 



Ethiopia A4, D13, E4, J3 , P2, Q2 



Kenya Cl, H22, Jl, Kl 



Gl. HI , K2 . PI 



81 



4 



75 



36 



9 



34 



51 



45 



4 



7 



1 



I 



22 



3 



1 



6 



2 



1 



11 



28 



25 



21 



1 



Somalia Al, D15 



Djibouti Jl 



Total: 466 

 We also acquainted ourselves with the E^. £. carina tus x E^. 

 sochureki hybrid (Berlin #18565). 



RESULT 



We studied the variability of the scale arrangements of 

 the head, body, and tail (a total of 15 characters), a number 

 of meristic parameters and indices as well as color patterns 

 of the head and body of vipers throughout the entire range of 

 the genus. This enabled us to identify characters which show 

 almost the same variation in nearly all the groups as well as 

 other characters whose variations appear specific to a 

 complex of taxonomic groups. The latter characters are 

 discussed below. However, before each of them is examined 

 separately, it is important to note that distribution of the 

 genus Echis encompasses three zoogeographica 1 regions, 

 Palaearctlc, Indo-Ma lays ian and Ethiopian. Since the 

 distribution of the characters recorded by us appeared 

 related to zoogeographlc provenance, we shall henceforth call 

 the vipers found in each of these regions Pa 1 e oa s i a t i c , 

 Indian and African. Also, it must be noted that none or the 

 currently described taxonomic groupings of vipers occurs in 

 more than one zoogeographica 1 area. 



