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Causus maculatus (HALLOWELL, 1842)

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Higher TaxaViperidae, Viperinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Spotted Night Adder, West-African Night Adder 
SynonymDistichurus maculatus HALLOWELL 1842: 337
Causus rhombeatus — PAPENFUSS 1969
Causus maculatus — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 232
Causus maculatus — RÖDEL & MAHSBERG 2000
Causus maculatus — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 607
Causus maculatus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 151
Causus maculatus — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 572
Causus maculatus — SENTER & CHIPPAUX 2022 
DistributionMauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, W Ethiopia, Uganda, S Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire; except in the east), Congo (Brazzaville), Ghana, Togo, Benin, Guinea (Conakry), Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea

Type locality: Liberia  
Reproductionoviparous. This is one of the few vipers that is egg-laying. 
TypesHolotype: ANSP 6897, according to Malnate, 1971 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2419 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous! Second most common cause for snake-bite mortality in Senegal (Trape et al. 2001)

Diet: Causus maculatus feeds exclusively on amphibians, at least in 486 specimens examined in Senegal, fide Mané & Trape 2019.

Distribution: For a map with localities in Equatorial Guinea see SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS et al. 2022. 
References
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