Vipera anatolica EISELT & BARAN, 1970
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Vipera anatolica
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| Higher Taxa | Viperidae, Viperinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Vipera anatolica anatolica EISELT & BARAN 1970 Vipera anatolica senliki GÖÇMEN, MEBERT, KARIŞ, OǦUZ & URSENBACHER 2017 |
| Common Names | E: Anatolian Meadow Viper G: Anatolische Wiesenotter |
| Synonym | Vipera ursinii anatolica EISELT & BARAN 1970 Vipera anatolica — WELCH 1994: 119 Vipera anatolica — VENCHI & SINDACO 2006 Vipera anatolica — KUCHARZEWSKI 2011 Pelias anatolica — WALLACH et al. 2014: 530 Vipera anatolica senliki GÖÇMEN, MEBERT, KARIŞ, OǦUZ & URSENBACHER 2017 Vipera anatolica senliki — AFSAR et al. 2019 Vipera anatolica senliki — YILDIZ et al. 2019 |
| Distribution | S/W Turkey Type locality: Ciglikara Ormani, 50 km SSW of Elmali, Turkey. senliki: Turkey (Antalya), Terra typica: Serinyaka Plateau, Mühür Daǧ, Gündoǧmus ̧ District, Antalya Province, Turkey, 1755 m elevation, (36°51′N, 32°02′E). |
| Reproduction | viviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Lectotype: ANSP 6915 Holotype: ZMADYU 2016/97-2, Adult male, Leg. 23 May 2016, Bayram Göçmen, Mert Karıs, Mehmet Anıl Oguz, Murat Senlik, Erdem Bulut. Paratypes. Eight specimens from ca. 3 km east and west of the holotype on Mühür Dag, Gündogmus ̧ District, Antalya Province, Turkey. For locality details and voucher numbers see figs SF-1 to SF-5 [senliki] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (senliki): A small viper (SVL < 40 cm, tail length < 6 cm) closely related and resembling to the Anatolian meadow (mountain steppe) viper Vipera anatolica Eiselt and Baran, 1970. Based on 19 Vipera a. senliki ssp. nov. from Mühür Daǧ and 7 Vipera a. anatolica from Kohu Daǧ (increased to 14 concerning colour pattern characters only, see Material and methods), Vipera a. senliki ssp. nov. differs from the nominotypic subspecies by: (1) significantly more anterior dorsal scale rows with mostly (90%) 21 dorsal scale rows behind the head (vs. 18 or 19 rows in V. a. anatolica); (2) higher ventral scales count with a mean of 122.11 (vs. 118.27 in V. a. anatolica); (3) smaller number of infralabials with mostly 9 scales (vs. 10 in V. a. anatolica); (4) fewer circumoculars with mostly 9 scales (vs. mostly 10 in V. a. anatolica); (5) fewer loreals with mostly 4 scales (vs. mostly 5 in V. a. anatolica); (6) a relatively wider head, i.e. lower ‘head length/head width’ ratio (7) showing a higher number of interruptions of the mid-dorsal zig-zag band (NIZB) between the head and the dorsal position of the anal plate, with 5- 22 interblotch-spaces lacking any clear dorsal-band connection (vs. 0-4 inter- ruptions in V. a. anatolica). Interruptions are defined as the lack of dark dor- sal colour (brownish to blackish) visibly connecting two mid-dorsal blotches, but not counting scales with only very light suffusion by speckling or with dark colour only along the edges of those scales or adjacent interscalar skin; (8) showing a remarkable reddish colouration of subcaudals (CSC) in 90% of females and 40% of males (vs. none or light brownish in the two female and five males of V. a. anatolica). (9) dorsal colouration of tail tip (DCTT) yellow in 90% of individuals, includ- ing adults (vs. grey ground colour in V. a. anatolica with yellow being present only on the subcaudal part of the tail tip); (10) darker pileus colouration (PC), as all individuals exhibit an increased speckling and/or darker ground colour anterior to the head angle marks (= pileus colouration), visibly contrasting with the lighter body posterior that blotch (vs. only ca. 40% in V. a. anatolica show a darker PC); (11) a decreased frequency of drop-shaped head angle marks (DSHA), with 90% of the angle marks evenly ended and only two individuals show one angle slightly wider (drop shaped) on the parietal side (vs. wider half on parietal side for both angle marks present in ca. 60%, only one side in ca. 30%, and none in ca. 10% of V. a. anatolica). |
| Comment | Venomous! Synonymy: Vipera ursinii ebneri KNÖPFLER & SOCHUREK, 1955 is now considered a synonym of V. eriwanensis. Vipera ursinii renardi (CHRISTOPH, 1861) is now considered as a valid species. Synonymy partly after KHALIKOV & ANANJEVA (pers. comm.). Subspecies: Golay et al. (1993) recognized 4 subspecies: V. u. ursinii, rakosiensis, eriwanensis, and renardi, of which the latter 2 have been raised to species status. However, the taxonomy is in an unsatisfactory state and requires more study before any further conclusions can be drawn. Distribution: not in Ukraine fide Viktor Gasso, pers. comm. 12 June 2011. Joger and Stümpel (2005) recently recognized V. ursinii as being restricted to Europe, ranging as isolated populations from France in the west to Moldova in the east. Records of V. ursinii from the following countries represent V. renardi: NW Iran, Armenia, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, eastward through Kazakhstan to Mt. Altai, south to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, China (W Xinjiang). Not in Kazakhstan fide Dujsebayeva (2010 and pers. comm., 6 Feb 2012). Conservation: one of the 30 most endangered viper species (Maritz et al. 2016). Abundance: Rare. This is one of the species called 'lost' and 'rediscovered' by Lindken et al. 2024. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
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