MORPHOLOGY OF VENOMOUS SNAKES 31 



Vipera latastii. 



Gray or brown above, with a longitudinal zigzag band, usually speckled with 

 white; head with or without speckle on top; black stripe behind eye; belly gray, 

 spotted with black and white; tail yellow with yellow spots. Length about 1.6 to 

 1.8 feet. Spain and Portugal, North Africa. 



Vipera ammodytes. 



The upper jaw turns up into a horny appendix. Color gray, brown, or reddish 

 above, with a zigzag dorsal band, ordinarily spotted with white; black stripe from 

 rear of eye; belly gray or violet; end of tail yellow, orange, or coral red. Length 

 about 1.6 to 1.8 feet. Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria, Hungary, Danubian districts, 

 Turkey. Not farther than 48 north latitude. North Africa. 



Vipera russellii. (Plate 12, d.) 



Known best as the "Daboia"; another synonym is Vipera elegans. The scales 

 form about 30 rows on back. Top of head covered with small, imbricating, usually 

 keeled scales. General color pale brown above, with 3 longitudinal series of black, 

 light-edged rings, which sometimes encircle reddish spots; belly yellowish-white, 

 uniform, or with small crescent-shaped black spots. Length up to 5 feet. 1 Hin- 

 dustan Peninsula, Bombay, Bengal, Ceylon, Burma, and Siam. The species 

 ascends the Himalayas to an altitude of 5,000 feet. Its food consists of small verte- 

 brates, frogs, mice, rats, and birds. It invades the inhabited house to hunt the 

 rat. Its poison is extremely powerful. 



Vipera superciliaris. 



Snout round. Body is covered with 27 rows of strongly keeled scales. Colora- 

 tion pale reddish-brown or orange, with blackish crossbands which are intersected 

 by a yellowish longitudinal band on each side; belly white with black speckles. 

 Length 1.8 to 2.5 feet. Mozambique coasts. 



Vipera lebetina. 



Upper jaw obtuse and rounded off with marked prominence. Coloration very 

 variable, gray or pale brown above, with a series of large dark speckles; a large 

 -^ of brown is found on the top of the head; belly is whitish and dotted with 

 brownish-gray; end of tail yellow. Length 3 feet, but the female may attain 3.5 

 feet. Cyprus, Galicia, Asia Minor, Persia, Beluchistan, Morocco, and northern 

 India. 

 Vipera renardii. 



Resembles Vipera berus, but with the upper jaw more pointed. The coloration 

 is like Vipera ursinii of Europe, with slight variation. Length about 2 feet. Cen- 

 tral Asia, Turkestan. 



Vipera raddii. 



Coloration pale brown or gray, with a series of small reddish dots in pairs along 

 the back; A on head and black band behind the eye; belly yellow, punctulated. 

 with black and white. Length 3.5 feet. Armenia. 



Genus CAUSUS Wagler. 



Head distinct from neck; eyes moderate, round pupils. Body cylindrical, scales 

 smooth or keeled, oblique on the sides; ventrals rounded off. Tail short, subcaudals 

 in one or two rows. Four species in this genus. 



Causus rhombeatus. 



Snout obtuse, slightly prominent; the scales in 17 to 21 rows. Coloration olive 

 or brown, often with a series of V-shaped brownish speckles, which are rimmed 



1 According to Boulenger it can attain a length of over 6 feet. 



