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Atheris desaixi ASHE, 1968

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Higher TaxaViperidae, Viperinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Mt Kenya Bush Viper 
SynonymAtheris desaixi ASHE 1968
Atheris desaixi — WELCH 1994: 19
Atheris desaixi — BROADLEY 1998: 122
Atheris desaixi — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 355
Atheris desaixi — DOBIEY & VOGEL 2007
Atheris desaixi — WALLACH et al. 2014: 62
Atheris desaixi — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 589 
DistributionKenya

Type locality: near Chuka, Mount Kenya.  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1969.338 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1128 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Habitat: trees (arboreal) 
EtymologyNamed after Frank De Saix, an American who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya when he collected the holotype of this species.
 
References
  • Ashe, J. 1968. A new Bush Viper. J. E. Afr. nat. Hist. Soc. natn. Mus. 27 (1): 53-59.
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Broadley, D.G. 1998. A review of the genus Atheris Cope (Serpentes: Viperidae), with the description of a new species from Uganda. The Herpetological Journal 8: 117-135. - get paper here
  • Dobiey, M. & Vogel, G. 2007. Venomous Snakes of Africa - Giftschlangen Afrikas. Edition Chimaira, Terralog 15, 150 pp. - get paper here
  • Ernst, R. & Rödel, M. O. 2002. A new Atheris species (Serpentes: Viperidae), from Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. The Herpetological Journal 12: 55-61 - get paper here
  • Herrmann, H. W.; Joger, U.; Lenk, P. & Wink, M. 1999. Morphological and molecular phylogenies of viperines: conflicting evidence? Kaupia (Darmstadt) (8): 21-30 - get paper here
  • Joger,U. & Courage,K. 1999. Are palearctic ‘rattlesnakes’ (Echis and Cerastes) monophyletic? Kaupia (Darmstadt) (8): 65-81
  • Laita, Mark 2013. Serpentine. Abrams and PQ Blackwell, Auckland, New Zealand, 200 unnumbered pages
  • Mallow, D. Ludwig, D. & Nilson, G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger, Malabar, Florida, 410 pp. [review in HR 35: 200, Reptilia 35: 74]
  • McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp.
  • Meidinger, Robert 1998. Erstnachzucht von Atheris desaixi Ashe, 1968, Mount-Kenya-Buschviper. Elaphe 6 (3): 15-17
  • Menegon, M.; Loader, S.P.; Marsden, S.J.; Branch, W.R.; Davenport, T.R.B. & Ursenbacher, S. 2014. The genus Atheris (Serpentes: Viperidae) in East Africa: Phylogeny and the role of rifting and climate in shaping the current pattern of species diversity. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 79: 12-22 - get paper here
  • Phelps, T. 2010. Old World Vipers. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 558 pp. [critical review in Sauria 33 (3): 19 and HR 43: 503]
  • Spawls, S. 1990. Further comments on Atheris. British Herpetological Society Bulletin 34: 44-45
  • Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. 2002. A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, 543 pp. [reviews in HR 34: 396 and Afr. J. Herp. 51; 147] - get paper here
  • Spawls, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 pp. - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
 
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