You are here » home › advanced search › Vipera aspis

Vipera aspis (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Vipera aspis - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Vipera aspis?

Add your own observation of
Vipera aspis »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaViperidae, Viperinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesVipera aspis aspis (LINNAEUS 1758)
Vipera aspis atra MEISNER 1820
Vipera aspis francisciredi LAURENTI 1768
Vipera aspis hugyi SCHINZ 1833
Vipera aspis zinnikeri KRAMER 1958 
Common NamesE: Asp Viper
G: Aspisviper
Italian: vipera comune 
SynonymColuber Aspis LINNAEUS 1758: 218
Vipera Francisci Redi LAURENTI 1768
Coluber Charasii SHAW 1802: 379 (fide BRUNO 1985)
C[hersea]. vulgaris — FLEMING 1822: 295
Aspis ocellata — FITZINGER 1826: 62
[Pelias] Col[uber]. aspis — F. BOIE 1827: 558
Berus Vulgaris — GRAY 1831: 82
Vipera aspis var. rufa BONAPARTE 1834: plate 3d fig 1
Vipera aspis var. fusca BONAPARTE 1834: plate 3d fig 2
Vipera aspis var. nigra BONAPARTE 1834: plate 4
Vipera aspis var. rubriventris BONAPARTE 1834: plate 4 fig 3
Vipera aspis var. ocellata — BONAPARTE 1834: plate 4
Vipera aspis — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1406
Mesovipera charasii — REUSS 1933
Vipera aspis — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 392
Vipera (Vipera) aspis — VENCHI & SINDACO 2006
Vipera aspis — KWET & TRAPP 2015
Vipera aspis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 787

Vipera aspis aspis (LINNAEUS 1758)
Coluber aspis LINNAEUS 1758
Vipera aspis aspis — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis aspis — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis aspis — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis aspis — WELCH 1994: 119
Vipera aspis aspis — SINDACO & RAZZETTI 2021

Vipera aspis atra MEISNER 1820
Vipera atra MEISNER 1820: 93
Vipera aspis atra — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis atra — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis atra — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis atra — WELCH 1994: 119
Vipera atra — ZUFFI 2002

Vipera aspis francisredi LAURENTI 1768
Vipera Francisci Redi LAURENTI 1768
[Coluber] Redi GMELIN 1788: 1091 [Replacement name]
Vipera Redi — SONNINI & LATREILLE 1801: 304
Vipera aspis francisredi — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis francisredi — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis francisredi — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis francisredi — WELCH 1994: 121
Vipera aspis francisciredi — SCHMIDT & KUNZ 2005: 7
Vipera aspis francisciredi — KOLODZIEJ 2019
Vipera aspis francisciredi — SINDACO & RAZZETTI 2021

Vipera aspis hugyi (SCHINZ 1833: 179)
Vipera Hugyi SCHINZ 1833: 179
Vipera aspis hugyi — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis hugyi — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis montecristi MERTENS 1956 (fide GOLAY 1993: 282)
Vipera aspis hugyi — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis hugyi — WELCH 1994: 121
Vipera hugyi — ZUFFI 2002
Vipera aspis hugyi — SCHWEIGER 2009
Vipera aspis hugyi — HALLMEN 2015
Vipera aspis hugyi — SINDACO & RAZZETTI 2021

Vipera aspis montecristi MERTENS 1956
Vipera aspis montecristi MERTENS 1956: 222
Vipera aspis montecristi — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis montecristi — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis montecristi — WELCH 1994: 121

Vipera aspis zinnikeri KRAMER 1958
Vipera aspis zinnikeri KRAMER 1958
Vipera aspis zinnikeri — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis zinnikeri — OBST 1983
Vipera aspis zinnikeri — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Vipera aspis zinnikeri — WELCH 1994: 121
Vipera zinnikeri — ZUFFI 2002
Vipera aspis zinnikeri — SCHWEIGER 2009 
DistributionNE Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy,
NW Yugoslavia: Slovenia

aspis: France, NW Switzerland, SW Germany, Italy

atra: W Switzerland, NW Italy, SE France; Type locality: Kandersteg [Kanton Bern, Switzerland], according to Schwarz
(1936:213).

francisciredi: S Switzerland, N/C Italy, Slovenia, NW Croatia; Type locality: "Austriaco & Italico" [Austria and Italy].

hugyi: S Italy (Apulia, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily); Type locality: "Sizilien."

montecristi: Italy (Montecristo Island)

zinnikeri: NE Spain, SW France (Pyrenees); Type locality: “Auch, Dép. Gers, Südwestfrankreich”.

Type locality: “Gallia”  
ReproductionViviparous. V. a. ammodytes hybridized with V. aspis atra in captivity (FAORO 1986), with V. aspis zinnikeri (OBERMAYER 1967), and with V. aspis aspis (SCHWEIZER 1941). Vipera berus hybridizes with V. aspis in France (Guiller et al. 2017, Althoetmar 2017). 
TypesType: Unlocated fide McDiarmid 1999
Type: Unlocated fide McDiarmid 1999 [atra]
Type: Unlocated fide McDiarmid 1999 [francisciredi]
Type: Unlocated fide McDiarmid 1999 [hugyi]
Holotype: NMBA 1547 1 (Originally No. 201, Museum Winterthur), according to Kramer 1978: 664 [zinnikeri] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Kleine bis mittelgroße Vipern, immer unter 1m GL. Meist 17-21 Reihen von Dorsalschuppen in der Körpermitte. Große Supraocularschilder, in unterschiedlichem Maße erhaltenes Frontale, Nasorostralia nicht mit Nasale verschmolzen. Oft deutlicher Sexualdimorphismus in der Färbung. Vivipar.
Untergattung Vipera s.str. (Vipera 1 sensu NILSON und ANDREN 1997): Kleine Kopfschuppen, Frontale und Parietale nicht als größere Schilder erhalten; gewöhnlich zwei Reihen von Subocularschuppen; Vorderkante der Schnauze aufgestülpt oder durch ein Nasenhorn gekennzeichnet. Fortpflanzung vom "aspis"- Typ (sensu NILSON und ANDREN 1997): Spermiogenese in Sommer und Herbst, wobei neben Frühjahrspaarungen auch Herbstpaarungen vorkommen können.
Untergattung Pelias: Frontale und Parietale als mehr oder weniger große Schilder erhalten, gewöhnlich eine Reihe von Subocularschuppen, Schnauze nicht aufgestülpt. Fortpfanzung vom "berus"-Typ: Spermiogenese im Frühling, kurz vor der Paarung.” (Joger & Stümpel 2005: 77)


Additional details (4407 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: partly after McDIARMID et al. 1999. Vipera aspis balcanica BURESCH & ZONKOV 1934 is a synonym of V. ammodytes.

Variation: this species is highly variable, at least in some areas (Mebert et al. 2011).

Subspecies: Note that ZUFFI (2002) elevated some subspecies to species status. Molecular methods grouped individuals of the three morphological subspecies (V. a. aspis, V. a. francisciredi, V. a. hugyi) into five different haploclades (BARBANERA et al. 2009). V. a. atra is not listed by Sindaco & Razzetti 2021 for Italy.

Distribution: May occur in Austria but there are not reliable records for this country. For a map see Sindaco et al. 2013.

Type species: Vipera Francisci Redi LAURENTI 1768 is the type species of the genus Vipera LAURENTI 1768. Note that Mertens & Müller (1928: 51) had previously designated Vipera illyrica LAURENTI 1768 as nucleospecies (= type species) of Vipera Laurenti, 1768. DUBOIS & BOUR (2010) suggested to transfer authority of Vipera to GARSAULT 1764 with Coluber aspis Linnaeus, 1758 as its nucleospecies.

Phylogenetics: for a recent phylogeny of this and related Viperinae see Šmíd & Tolley 2019 and Dufresnes et al. 2024. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek “aspis” = scale or shield, also snake, latinized also “aspis” (colubrid).

Vipera aspis zinnikeri was named after a friend of the author, Mr. W. Zinniker, who donated the types (Museum Wintherthur).

V. a. francisciredi was named after Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet Francesco Redi (1626–1697) (Murphy 2019, Dost 2023). 
References
  • Althoetmar, K. 2017. Mit der Kreuzotter gekreuzt: erster Nachweis von Hybriden zwischen Aspisvipern und Kreuzottern. Terraria-Elaphe 2017 (6): 10-13 - get paper here
  • Andrews, R. M., Brandley, M. C. and Greene, V. W. 2013. Developmental sequences of squamate reptiles are taxon specific. Evolution & Development, 15: 326–343. doi: 10.1111/ede.12042 - get paper here
  • Aprea, Gennaro; Gentilli, Augusto; Zuffi, Marco A.L.; Odierna, Gaetano 2006. The karyology of Vipera aspis, V. atra, V. hugyi, and Cerastes vipera. Amphibia-Reptilia 27 (1): 113-119 - get paper here
  • BARBADILLO, L.J. 1983. About the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the province of Burgos. Goal. I am. Cat. Ictio. Herp. 5-10-10-7 - get paper here
  • Barbanera, F.; M.A.L. Zuffi, M. Guerrini, A. Gentilli, S. Tofanelli, M. Fasola, F. Dini 2009. Molecular phylogeography of the asp viper Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) in Italy: Evidence for introgressive hybridization and mitochondrial DNA capture. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 52 (1): 103-114 - get paper here
  • Barnett, Brian F. 1991. Breeding results: Vipera aspis aspis. Litteratura Serpentium 11 (6): 144 - get paper here
  • Bartolommei, Paola; Marco Di Domenico and Marco A.L. Zuff. 2010. Delayed or anticipated reproduction in the asp viper (Vipera aspis)? New field records. Herpetology Notes 3: 75-276.
  • Berroneau, M. et al. 2010. Guide des Amphibiens et Reptiles d’Aquitaine. Association Cistude Nature, 180 pp.
  • Billing H; Nilson G; Sattler U 1990. Vipera pontica sp. n., a new viper species in the kaznakovi group (Reptilia, Viperidae) from northeastern Turkey and adjacent Transcaucasia. Zoologica Scripta 19 (2): 227-231 - get paper here
  • Bonaparte,L. 1835. Iconographia della Fauna Italica per le quattro classi degli animali vertebrati. Tome 2. Rome 1832-1841 - get paper here
  • Bonnet, X. 1997. Influence of size on survival in newborn asp vipers (Vipera aspis): preliminary results Amphibia-Reptilia, 18(1): 107-112. - get paper here
  • Bonnet, X. & G. Naulleau 1993. Relations entre la glycémie et l'activité saisonnière chez Vipera aspis L. Amphibia-Reptilia, 14(3): 295-306. - get paper here
  • Bonnet, Xavier; Serge Akoka, Richard Shine,Léandre Pourcelot 2008. Disappearance of eggs during gestation in a viviparous snake (Vipera aspis) detected using non-invasive techniques. Acta Herpetologica 3 (2): 129-137
  • Boulenger, G. A. 1913. The snakes of Europe. Methusen & Co. Ltd, London, 151 pp.
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Remarks on the common viper, Vipera berus, and on one of its subspecies, V. seoanei. The Zoologist 1885: 373-375
  • Broennimann, Olivier; Sylvain Ursenbacher, Andreas Meyer, Philippe Golay, Jean-Claude Monney, Hans Schmocker, Antoine Guisan and Sylvain Dubey 2014. Influence of climate on the presence of colour polymorphism in two montane reptile species. Biol. Lett. 10 (11): 20140638; doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0638 - get paper here
  • Bronsgeest, Herman 1992. Breeding results: Vipera aspis zinnikeri. Litteratura Serpentium 12 (1): 24 - get paper here
  • Bruno, S. 1976. L’ornamentazione della Vipera aspis (L., 1758) in Italia. Atti Soc. ital. Sci. nat. Museo civ. Stor. nat. Milano 117, 165-194. - get paper here
  • Brusco, Agostino; Roberto Marchianò, Gianni Giglio, Gianluca Piovesan, Emilio Sperone 2021. Eat until bursting: an unusual feeding attempt by a European Asp, Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758), on a Western Green Lizard, Lacerta bilineata Daudin, 1802, in Calabria (Southern Italy). Herpetology Notes 14: 563-565
  • Buresch, I. and Beskov, V. 1965. Wird die Giftschlange Vipera aspis L. in Bulgarien angetroffen? Bull. Inst. Zool. Mus., Acad. Bulgare Sci. 18, 5-30.
  • Buresch,I. & J. Zonkov. 1934. Untersuchungen über die Verbreitung der Reptilien und Amphibien in Bulgarien und auf der Balkanhalbinsel 2. Bull. Inst. Hist. Nat. Sofia 7: 106-188. [V. aspis balcanica]
  • Cambensy, J. 1984. Vorkommen der Aspis-Viper, Vipera aspis aspis (LINNAEUS, 1758) in Baden-Württemberg (Serpentes: Viperidae). Salamandra 20 (1): 56-58 - get paper here
  • Canova, Luca; Augusto Gentilli 2008. Diet of the asp viper Vipera aspis in woodland habitats of the Po plain (NW Italy). Acta Herpetologica 3 (2): 175-178
  • Carlino, Piero, Pauwels, Thomas P. C. and Pauwels, Olivier S. G. 2017. Vipera aspis hugyi (South-Italian Asp Viper) Diet. Herpetological Review 48 (1): 221 - get paper here
  • Castella, B.; J. Golay, J.-C. Monney, P. Golay, K. Mebert and S. Dubey 2013. Melanism, body condition and elevational distribution in the asp viper. Journal of Zoology, 290: 273–280. doi: 10.1111/jzo.12037 - get paper here
  • Cavigioli, Luca, Grégoire Meier, Valentina S. A. Mella, Nicola Mischischia and Giacomo Bruni. 2016. Another case of dicephalism in Vipera aspis francisciredi (LAURENTI, 1768), from northern Italy. Herpetozoa 29 (1/2): 85-86 - get paper here
  • Deso, Gregory, Aloys CROUZET, Gonzalo DEL BARRIO & Xavier BONNET. 2021. Une Vipère aspic aux yeux rouges : Première suspicion d’hyphéma bilatéral chez Vipera aspis aspis. [Pdf] Bulletin de La Société Herpétologique de France 179: 57–59. - get paper here
  • DI NICOLA, M. R., AND F. P. FARONE 2020. Vipera aspis hugyi (Southern Italian Asp). Coloration. Herpetological Review 51: 631.
  • Di Nicola, M. R., Storniolo, F., Cerullo, A., & Faraone, F. P. 2024. Barred, blotched or intermediate? A photographic-based survey on the spatial distribution of Vipera aspis phenotypes from central-southern Italy. Basic and Applied Herpetology - get paper here
  • Di Nicola, Matteo R. and Gregoire J. Meier. 2013. Vipera aspis hugyi (Southern Italian asp) melanism. Herpetological Review 44 (4): 698 - get paper here
  • DI NICOLA, MATTEO RICCARDO 2019. A revised dichotomous key to the snakes of Italy (Reptilia, Squamata, Serpentes), according to recent systematic updates. Zootaxa 4686 (2): 294–296 - get paper here
  • Dossenbach, H.D., & Ganz, A. 1977. Die Reptilien der Schweiz. Naturf. Gesell. Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Neujahrsblatt nr. 30, 31 pp.
  • Ducrest, Anne-Lyse; Sylvain Ursenbacher, Philippe Golay, Jean-Claude Monney, Konrad Mebert, Alexandre Roulin and Sylvain Dubey 2014. Pro-opiomelanocortin gene and melanin-based colour polymorphism in a reptile. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 111 (1): 160-168, DOI: 10.1111/bij.12182 - get paper here
  • Dufresnes, C.; Ghielmi, S., Halpern, B., Martínez-Freiría, F., Mebert, K., Jelié, D., Crnobrnja-Isailović, J., Gippner, S., Jablonski, D., Joger, U., Laddaga, L., Petrovan, S., Tomović, L., Vörös, J., İ ğci, N., Kariş, M., Zinenko, O., Ursenba 2024. Phylogenomic insights into the diversity and evolution of Palearctic vipers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & DUMÉRIL, A. H. A., 1854. Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536 - get paper here
  • Dupoué A, Lourdais O, Meylan S, et al. 2019. Some like it dry: Water restriction overrides heterogametic sex determination in two reptiles. Ecol Evol. 00:1–10 - get paper here
  • Dürigen, Bruno 1897. Deutschlands Amphibien und Reptilien. Eine Beschreibung und Schilderung sämmtlicher in Deutschland und den angrenzenden Gebietan vrokommenden Lurche und Kreichthiere. Magdeburg,Creutz'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung - get paper here
  • Engelmann, W.E. et al. 1993. Lurche und Kriechtiere Europas. Neumann Verlag (Radebeul, Germany), 440 pp.
  • Faoro,G. 1986. Bemerkungen zur Verbastardierung von Vipera ammodytes mit Vipera aspis atra. herpetofauna 8 (43):6-7. - get paper here
  • Ferrer, Joan & Eduard Filella 2011. Sobre la presència dels escurçons Vipera latastei Boscá, 1878 i Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758), i del tòtil Alytes obstetricans (Laurenti, 1768) a la península del Cap de Creus. Bull. Soc. Catalana d’Herp. 19 - get paper here
  • Ferrière, R. 1987. Observations préliminaires sur la morphologie de Vipera aspis (L., 1758) dans le Sud-Est de la France Amphibia-Reptilia, 8(3): 289-294. - get paper here
  • Filippi, Ernesto 2003. On the proposed elevation of Vipera aspis subspecies to full species rank: A cautionary note. Amphibia-Reptilia 24 (2): 235-238 - get paper here
  • Filippi, Ernesto 2003. The effects of timbering on a snake community of a Mediterranean area of central Italy. Amphibia-Reptilia 24 (1): 75-78 - get paper here
  • Filippi, Ernesto; Luiselli, Luca 2006. Changes in community composition, habitats and abundance of snakes over 10+ years in a protected area in Italy: conservation implications. The Herpetological Journal 16: 29-36 - get paper here
  • Flatt, T., S. Dummermuth & B.R. Anholt 1997. Mark-recapture Estimates of Survival in Populations of the Asp Viper, Vipera aspis aspis Journal of Herpetology 31 (4): 558-564. - get paper here
  • Fritz, Klemens;Lehnert, Manfred 1993. Das Reliktvorkommen der Aspisviper (Vipera aspis L.) im Schwarzwald. Mertensiella (3): 301-310
  • Garrigues, Thomas; Catherine Dauga; Elisabeth Ferquel; Valérie Choumet and Anna-Bella Failloux 2005. Molecular phylogeny of Vipera Laurenti, 1768 and the related genera Macrovipera (Reuss, 1927) and Daboia (Gray, 1842), with comments about neurotoxic Vipera aspis aspis populations. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution <br>Volume 35 (1): 35-47 - get paper here
  • Gebhart, J. 2015. Eine ungewöhnlich gefärbte Redi-Viper (Vipera aspis francisredi) aus dem Schweizer Münstertal. Terraria-Elaphe 2016 (1): 77 - get paper here
  • Geniez, Philippe 2018. Snakes of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Princeton University Press, 384 pp. - get paper here
  • Gentilli, A.; Cardini, A.; Fontaneto, D.; Zuffi, M.A.L. 2009. The phylogenetic signal in cranial morphology of Vipera aspis: a contribution from geometric morphometrics. The Herpetological Journal 19: 69-77 - get paper here
  • Geser, S., L. Kaiser, V. Zwahlen & S. Ursenbacher 2013. Development of polymorphic microsatellite loci markers for the Asp viper (Vipera aspis) using high-throughput sequencing and their use for other European vipers Amphibia-Reptilia, 34(1): 109-113. - get paper here
  • Golay, Philippe; Monney, Jean-Claude; Conelli, Alberto; Durand, Thierry; Thiery, Gilles; Luca Zuffi, Marco Alberto; Ursenbacher, Sylvain 2008. Systematics of the Swiss asp vipers: some implications for the European Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) complex (Serpentes: Viperidae) - A tribute to Eugen Kramer. Amphibia-Reptilia 29 (1): 71-83 - get paper here
  • Gomard, Guillaume 2017. Freilandbeobachtungen zur Thermoregulation und zum gemeinsamen Auftreten der Aspisviper (Vipera aspis). Terraria-Elaphe 2017 (5): 74-77 - get paper here
  • Grano, M. & Grano, P. 2006. Surrounded by water - reptiles of the Tuscan archipelago. Reptilia (GB) (47): 64-69 - get paper here
  • GRISVARD, Pierre 2020. Nouvelles données historiques de Vipère aspic Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes : Viperidae) en Lorraine / New historical data of the asp viper Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes: Viperidae) in Lorraine. Bull. Soc. Herp. France 175: 37-56
  • Gruber, U. 2009. Die Schlangen Europas, 2. Aufl. Kosmos Naturführer, 266 pp.
  • Guillemin, I.; Bouchier, C.; Garrigues, T.; Wisner, A.; Choumet, V. 2003. Sequences and structural organization of phospholipase A2 genes from Vipera aspis aspis, V. aspis zinnikeri and Vipera berus berus venom. Identification of the origin of a new viper population based on ammodytin I1 heterogeneity. European Journal of Biochemistry 270(13):2697-2706. - get paper here
  • Guiller, G., Lourdais, O. and Ursenbacher, S. 2017. Hybridization between a Euro-Siberian (Vipera berus) and a Para-Mediterranean viper (V. aspis) at their contact zone in western France. Journal of Zoolog, 302: 138–147. doi:10.1111/jzo.12431 - get paper here
  • Gulden, J. 1987. Breeding results: Vipera aspis francisciredi. Litteratura Serpentium 7 (6): 255-256 - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. 2015. Jetzt auch noch giftiges Geschleich! Mein Einstieg in die Haltung von Giftschlangen. Reptilia (Münster) 20 (116): 44-51 - get paper here
  • Huizinga, Robin & Matthijs Mackaay 2016. Research internship about the distribution of the Vipera aspis and the Vipera berus in the Department Creuse, France. Litteratura Serpentium 36 (3): 114-121 - get paper here
  • Jäggi, Christoph; Bruno Baur 1999. Overgrowing forest as a possible cause for the local extinction of Vipera aspis in the northern Swiss Jura mountains. Amphibia-Reptilia 20 (1): 25-34 - get paper here
  • Joger, U. & Stümpel, N. 2005. Vipera - Vipern. In: Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. - Band 3/IIB: Schlangen (Serpentes) III - Viperidae. Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim: 77
  • Jooris, R. 1986. Breeding results: Vipera aspis aspis (4x). Litteratura Serpentium 6 (3): 117 - get paper here
  • Kabisch, K. & Belter, H. 1968. Das Verzehren von Amphibien und Reptilien durch Vögel. Zoologische Abhandlungen aus dem Staatlichen Museum für Tierkunde in Dresden 29: 191-227
  • Karstens, R. 1986. Breeding results: Vipera aspis (female) x Vipera ammodytes (male). Litteratura Serpentium 6 (5): 203-204 - get paper here
  • Koble, R. 1996. Reste grosser Kopfschilder bei der Aspisviper (Vipera aspis aspis) in ihrem wahrscheinlich nördlichsten Verbreitungsgebiet. Elaphe 4 (1): 78-79
  • Kolodziej, K. 2019. Lebende Fossilien und neue Arten – herpetologische Highlights vom nordwestitalienischen Festland. Reptilia (Münster) 24 (137): 72-79 - get paper here
  • Kramer, E. 1958. Eine neue Rasse der Aspisviper aus dem südwestlichen Frankreich Vipera aspis zinnikeri n. subsp.. Vierteljahrschrift Naturforschende Gesellschaft Zürich 103: 321-326. - get paper here
  • Kramer, E. 1978. Typenkatalog der Schlangen im Naturhistorischen Museums Basel (BM), Stand 1977 [type catalogue] Revue Suisse de Zoologie 85 (3): 657-665 - get paper here
  • Krecsák, László. 2008. Albinism and leucism among European viperinae: A review. Russ. J. Herpetol. 15 (2): 97-102 - get paper here
  • Kreiner, G. 2009. Die Schlangen Nordspaniens - Reiseeindrücke aus dem Kantabrischen Gebirge und angrenzenden Gebieten. Draco 10 (39): 38-48 - get paper here
  • Kreiner, G. 2011. Erfahrungen und Einschätzungen zur Intergradation der Aspisviper Vipera aspis in Süditalien. Elaphe 19 (2): 46-50
  • Kumar, B., 2009. Nove najdbe laškega gada (Vipera aspis) v Sloveniji. Natura Sloveniae 11(1): 59-63
  • Kwet, A. 2010. Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart, 252 pp.
  • Kwet, Axel 2014. Seltene Mahlzeit für Aspisvipern. Terraria-Elaphe 2014 (5): 78-79 - get paper here
  • Kwet, Axel & Benny Trapp 2014. Liste der Reptilien Europas. Draco 15 (60): 72-79 - get paper here
  • Kwet, Axel & Benny Trapp 2014. Die Vipern Europas. Draco 15 (60): 40-56 - get paper here
  • Laufer, H.; Fritz, C. & Sowig, P. (eds.) 2007. Die Amphibien und Reptilien Baden-Württembergs. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 807 pp.
  • Laurenti, J. N. 1768. Specimen medicum, exhibens synopsin reptilium emendatam cum experimentis circa venena et antidota reptilium austracorum, quod authoritate et consensu. Vienna, Joan. Thomae, 217 pp. - get paper here
  • Leptien, R. 2012. Die Aspisviper. Reptilia (Münster) 17 (95): 72-75 - get paper here
  • Linnaeus, C. [= Linné, C. von] 1758. Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiæ. 10th Edition: 824 pp. - get paper here
  • Lourdais, O. et al. 2002. Costs of Anorexia During Pregnancy in a Viviparous Snake (Vipera aspis). J. exp. Zool. 292: 487-493 - get paper here
  • Luiselli, L., E. Filippi & E. Di Lena 2007. Ecological Relationshiops between Sympatric Vipera aspis and Vipera ursinii in High-Altitude Habitats of Central Italy Journal of Herpetology 41 (3): 378-384. - get paper here
  • 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]
  • Markus schweDerski 2021. Dokumentierte Sichtungen der Aspisviper Vipera aspis aspis (linnaeus, 1758) in der Gemeinde Saint-Baudille-de-la-Tour (Départment Isére) in einem Zeitraum von 1991 bis 2009. Sauria 43 (2): 27-34
  • Martínez, Fernando, José Brito and Miguel Lizana Avia 2006. Intermediate forms and syntopy among vipers (Vipera aspis and V. latastei) in Northern Iberian Peninsula. Herpetological Bulletin 97: 14-18 - get paper here
  • Martínez-Freiría, F., Toyama, K. S., Freitas, I., & Kaliontzopoulou, A. 2020. Thermal melanism explains macroevolutionary variation of dorsal pigmentation in Eurasian vipers. Scientific Reports, 10(1) - get paper here
  • Martínez-Freiría, Fernando; Lizana, Miguel; Amaral, José Pedro do; Brito, José C. 2010. Spatial and temporal segregation allows coexistence in a hybrid zone among two Mediterranean vipers (Vipera aspis and V. latastei). Amphibia-Reptilia 31: 195-212 - get paper here
  • Martínez-Freiría F, Freitas I, Zuffi MAL, Golay P, Ursenbacher S, Velo-Antón G. 2020. Climatic refugia boosted allopatric diversification in Western Mediterranean vipers. J Biogeogr. 2020;00:1–16 - get paper here
  • Masseti, Marco & Wolfgang Böhme 2014. Vipern, Mönche und Arzneien: die Aspisviper (Vipera aspis) auf der Insel Montechristo im nördlichen Tyrrhenischen Meer Sekretär 14 (1): - get paper here
  • Masseti, Marco and Marco A.L. Zuffi 2011. On the origin of the asp viper Vipera aspis hugyi Schinz, 1833, on the island of Montecristo, Northern Tyrrhenian Sea (Tuscan archipelago, Italy). Herpetological Bulletin (117) - get paper here
  • Mattea, Riccardo G. and Steven J. R. Allain 2020. An observation of nocturnal activity in a Central-Italian Asp (Vipera aspis francisciredi). IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians 27 (1): 87–88 - get paper here
  • McDiarmid, R.W.; Campbell, J.A. & Touré,T.A. 1999. Snake species of the world. Vol. 1. [type catalogue] Herpetologists’ League, 511 pp.
  • Mebert, K.; Zwahlen, V.; Golay, P.; Durand, T. & Ursenbacher, S. 2011. Ungewöhnlich hoher Farbpolymorphismus bei alpinen Aspisvipern in Frankreich. Elaphe 19 (1): 13-19
  • Mebert, Konrad; Tomaz Jagar, Rok Grželj, Vesna Cafuta, Luca Luiselli, Erika Ostanek, Philippe Golay, Sylvain Dubey, Joaquim Golay and Sylvain Ursenbacher 2015. The dynamics of coexistence: habitat sharing versus segregation patterns among three sympatric montane vipers. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society DOI: 10.1111/bij.12582 - get paper here
  • Meier, Christoph 2014. Herpetologische Felduntersuchungen mit einer Schülergruppe im Berner Oberland. Auf der Suche nach Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758). Ophidia 8 (1): 2-14
  • Meisner, F. 1820. Ueber die in der Schweiz einheimischen Schlangen überhaupt und die Vipern insbesondere. Museum der Naturgschichte Helvetiens 1820: 89- - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1956. Senckenbergiana biologica 37: 222
  • Mojsisovics, A. v. 1889. Nachträgliche Bemerkungen zu meiner Arbeit „Über die geographische Verbreitung einiger westpalaearktischer Schlangen”. Mitt. naturwiss. Ver. Steiermark, 1888: 270-273 - get paper here
  • Monney, J.-C. 1993. Predation of lizards and frogs by adult vipers, Vipera aspis, in the Bernese Prealpine region (West Switzerland) Amphibia-Reptilia, 14(1): 93-95. - get paper here
  • Moser, Andréas; Claudia Graber and Thierry A. Freyvogel. 1984. Observations sur l'Ethologie et l'Evolution d'une Population de Vipera aspis (L.) au Nord du Jura Suisse. Amphibia-Reptilia 5 (3-4): 373 - 393 - get paper here
  • Müller, P. 1969. Einige Bemerkungen zur Verbreitung von Vipera aspis (Serpentes, Viperidae) in Spanien. Salamandra 5 (1-2): 57-62 - get paper here
  • Murphy, J B 2019. How it all began - herpetologists and their art through the ages. Part I. 12th through 17th centuries. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 628-640 - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. 1970. La Reproduction De Vipera aspis En Captivité Dans Des Conditions Artificielles. Journal of Herpetology 4 (3-4): 113-121 - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. 1971. Fertility of Female Vipera aspis in Captivity as a Function of the Periods of Mating Herpetologica 27 (4): 385-389. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. 1979. Etude Biotélémétrique de la Thermorégulation Chez Vipera aspis (L.) Elevée on Conditions Artificielles Journal of Herpetology 13 (2): 203-208. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. 1983. The Effects of Temperature on Digestion in Vipera aspis Journal of Herpetology 17 (2): 166-170. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. 1987. Les serpents de France, 2.ed. Rev. Francaise d'Aquariologie, Herpet. (Nancy) 56 pp. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. & H. Saint Girons 1981. Poids des nouveau-nés et reproduction de Vipera aspis (Reptilia: Viperidae), dans des conditions naturelles et artificielles Amphibia-Reptilia, 2(1): 51-62. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G. & X. Bonnet 1995. Reproductive ecology, body fat reserves and foraging mode in females of two contrasted snake species: Vipera aspis (terrestrial, viviparous) and Elaphe longissima (semi-arboreal, oviparous) Amphibia-Reptilia, 16(1): 37-46. - get paper here
  • Naulleau, G., X. Bonnet, M. Vacher-Vallas, R. Shine & O. Lourdais 1999. Does Less-than-annual Production of Offspring by Female Vipers (Vipera aspis) Mean Less-than-annual Mating? Journal of Herpetology 33 (4): 688-691. - get paper here
  • Obermayer, G. 1967. Vipera aspis zinnikeri x Vipera ammodytes ammodytes. DATZ 20: 255-256.
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - 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]
  • Pottier G., Paumier J.-M., Tessier M., Barascud Y., Talhoët S., Liozon R., D’Andurain P., Vacher J.-P., Barthe L., Heaulmé V., Esslinger M., Arthur C.-P., Calvet A., Maurel C. & Redon H. 2008. Atlas de répartition des reptiles et amphibiens de Midi-Pyrénées. Les atlas naturalistes de Midi-Pyrénées. Nature Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, 126 pp.
  • Reading, C. J.; L. M. Luiselli, G. C. Akani, X. Bonnet, G. Amori, J. M. Ballouard, E. Filippi, G. Naulleau, D. Pearson, L. Rugiero 2010. Are snake populations in widespread decline? Biol. Lett. 2010 6 777-780; DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0373 - get paper here
  • REPERANT, Jacques; Jean-Paul RIO, Natalia KENIGFEST & Monique MEDINA 2020. Ultrastructural features of degeneration and regeneration of lesioned optic fibers in the viper (Vipera aspis Linnaeus, 1758) / Caractéristiques ultrastructurales de la dégénérescence et de la régénération des fibres optiques lésées chez la Bull. Soc. Herp. France 175: 15-36
  • Reuss, T. 1933. Fortsetzung und Schluss der Originalberichte. Nachr. Bl. Aquar. Terrar.-Ver. 1933: 372-373
  • Romano, A., Sansone, L., Cacace, A., & Biancolini, D. 2023. Diversity, distribution, habitat preferences and community assemblages of Amphibians and Reptiles in the “Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni” National Park (Campania, Southern Italy). Acta Herpetologica, 18(2), 115-129 - get paper here
  • Rugiero, Lorenzo; Luca Luiselli, Massimo Capula, Fabio Petrozzi, Massimiliano Di Vittorio, Nic Pacini, Leonardo Vignoli, Daniele Dendi, Giuliano Milana, Giovanni Amori & Roger Meek 2020. Snakes and the Eternal City: variation in community metrics, body size and population density of snakes in contrasted landscapes of suburban Rome (Italy). The Herpetological Journal 30: 69-82 - get paper here
  • Saint Girons, H. 1994. Les risques de prédation liés à la reproduction chez un Viperidae ovovivipare, Vipera aspis L., d'après les observations visuelles Amphibia-Reptilia, 15(4): 413-416. - get paper here
  • Saint Girons, H. & R. Duguy 1992. Evolution de la masse corporelle et de la masse relative des corps gras, des ovaires et des oeufs au cours des cycles reproducteurs chez Vipera aspis Amphibia-Reptilia, 13(4): 351-364. - get paper here
  • Saint Girons, H. & R. Duguy 1994. Evolution de la masse corporelle et de la masse relative de quelques organes au cours du cycle annuel chez les mâles matures de Vipera aspis Amphibia-Reptilia, 15(2): 123-133. - get paper here
  • Saint Girons, H., G. Naulleau & M.-L. Celerier 1985. Le métabolisme aérobie de Vipera aspis et de Vipera berus (Reptilia: Viperidae) acclimatées à des conditions naturelles. Influence de la température et comparaison des deux espèces Amphibia-Reptilia, 6(1): 71-81. - get paper here
  • Saint-Girons, H. 1981. Quelques observations sur la dispersion des nouveau-nes chez Vipera berus et Vipera aspis dans le bocage atlantique (Reptilia: Viperidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 2: 269-272 - get paper here
  • Saint-Girons,H. 1978. Morphologie externe comparée et systematique des Viperes d'Europe (Reptilia, Viperidae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 85: 165-595 - get paper here
  • Santos, X., Pleguezuelos, J. M., Chergui, B., Geniez, P., & Cheylan, M. 2022. Citizen-science data shows long-term decline of snakes in southwestern Europe. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1-17 - get paper here
  • SASSOÈ-POGNETTO, MARCO; SONIA ACIERNO & SILVESTRO ROATTA. 2022. Use of a wireless ultrasound probe as a portable, noninvasive method for studying reproductive biology in the asp viper, Vipera aspis. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology 337(7): 724–728. - get paper here
  • Scali, Stefano; Mangiacotti, Marco; Sacchi, Roberto; Gentilli, Augusto 2011. A tribute to Hubert Saint Girons: niche separation between Vipera aspis and V. berus on the basis of distribution models. Amphibia-Reptilia 32 (2): 223-233 - get paper here
  • Schinz,K.R. 1833. Naturgeschichte und Abbildungen der Reptilien. Wiedmann, Leipzig, 240 pp. - get paper here
  • Schlüter, U. 2009. Die Schlangenfauna Europas. Draco 10 (39): 4-21 - get paper here
  • Schmid, A. 2014. Winter adieu. Frühlingstage an der Côte d’Azur. Reptilia (Münster) 19 (106): 43-46
  • Schmidt, D. & Kunz, K. 2005. Ernährung von Schlangen. Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster, 159 pp. - get paper here
  • Schweiger, M. 2009. Die Giftschlangen Europas. Eine Übersicht der Arten und Bemerkungen zu einzelnen Taxa. Reptilia (Münster) 14 (76): 14-25 - get paper here
  • Shine, Richard;Madsen, Thomas 1994. Sexual dichromatism in snakes of the genus Vipera: A review and a new evolutionary hypothesis. Journal of Herpetology 28 (1): 114-117 - get paper here
  • Sindaco, R.; Alberto Venchi & Cristina Grieco 2013. The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic, Volume 2: Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Snakes of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia, with an Update to Volume 1. Edizioni Belvedere, Latina (Italy), 543 pp. - get paper here
  • Šmíd, Jiří;, & Krystal A. Tolley 2019. Calibrating the tree of vipers under the fossilized birth-death model. Scientific Reports 9:5510 - get paper here
  • Trapp, Benny 2014. Europäische Vipern. Terraria-Elaphe 2014 (3): 14-21 - get paper here
  • Trutnau, L. 1975. Europäische Amphibien und Reptilien. Belser Verlag, Stuttgart 212 pp.
  • Ursenbacher, S.; A. Conelli, P. Golay, J.-C. Monney, M.A.L. Zuffi, G. Thiery, T. Durand and L. Fumagalli 2006. Phylogeography of the asp viper (Vipera aspis ) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data: Evidence for multiple Mediterranean refugial areas. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2): 546-552 - get paper here
  • Venchi, Alberto and Roberto Sindaco 2006. Annotated checklist of the reptiles of the Mediterranean countries, with keys to species identification. Part 2 -Snakes (Reptilia, Serpentes). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale "G. Doria", Genova, XCVIII: 259-364
  • 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.
  • Weima, André 2011. Picture: Vipera aspis hugyi. Litteratura Serpentium 31 (4): 202 - get paper here
  • Wirth, Michael 2013. Das Geheimnis der Feuerschneisen. Terraria-Elaphe 2013 (3): 36-43 - get paper here
  • Wirth, Michael 2013. Die Toskana für Herpetotouristen. Terraria-Elaphe 2013 (3): 26-34 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, Marco A.L. 2002. A critique of the systematic position of the asp viper subspecies Vipera aspis aspis (Linnaeus, 1758), Vipera aspis atra Meisner, 1820, Vipera aspis francisciredi Laurenti, 1768, Vipera aspis hugyi Schinz, 1833... Amphibia-Reptilia 23 (2): 191-213 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, M.A.L. et al. 2009. Geographic variation of body size and reproductive patterns in Continental versus Mediterranean asp vipers, Vipera aspis. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 96: 383–391 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, M.A.L.; Bonnet, X. 1999. Italian subspecies of the asp viper, Vipera aspis: patterns of variability and distribution. Italian Journal of Zoology 66:87-95 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, Marco A. 1999. Activity patterns in a viviparous snake, Vipera aspis (L.), from Mediterranean central Italy. Amphibia-Reptilia 20 (3): 313-318 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, Marco A. 2003. On the subspecies of Vipera aspis: A reply to Filippi. Amphibia-Reptilia 24 (2): 238-241 - get paper here
  • Zuffi, Marco A. L. 2014. Teeth number variation and cranial morphology within Vipera aspis group. Basic and Applied Herpetology 28: 87-97 - get paper here
  • ZWAHLEN, VALERIE; OLIVIER LOURDAIS, SYLVAIN URSENBACHER & GAËTAN GUILLER. 2022. Rare genetic admixture and unidirectional gene flow between Vipera aspis and Vipera berus at their contact zone in western France. Amphibia-Reptilia 43 (2): 181–194. - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator