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Vipera monticola SAINT GIRONS, 1953

IUCN Red List - Vipera monticola - Near Threatened, NT
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Higher TaxaViperidae, Viperinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesVipera monticola atlantica MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA, LUCCHINI & FREITAS in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021
Vipera monticola monticola SAINT-GIRONS 1953
Vipera monticola saintgironsi MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA, FAHD, LARBES & BRITO in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021 
Common NamesE: Mountain Viper 
SynonymVipera latastei montana SAINT GIRONS 1953: 24 (sec. homonym)
Vipera latastei monticola SAINT GIRONS 1954 (replacement name)
Vipera monticola — BEERLI, BILLING & SCHÄTTI 1986
Vipera latasti monticola — SOCHUREK 1979
Vipera (Rhinaspis) monticola — OBST 1983
Vipera monticola — WELCH 1994: 123
Vipera monticola — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 406
Vipera (Vipera) monticola — VENCHI & SINDACO 2006
Vipera monticola — WALLACH et al. 2014: 775 
DistributionMorocco (High Atlas), elevation up to 3000 m, Algeria

monticola: Morocco; Type locality: Massif du Toubkal, Haut Atlas, Morocco, 2800 m.

atlantica: Morocco; Type locality: Nfis meadows of the Tichka Plateau (region of Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco).

saintgironsi: Algeria; Type locality: Djurjurá Mts (Algeria)  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesSyntypes: MNHN-RA 8959, MNHN-RA 2012.0433 (formerly MNHN-RA 8959A), MNHN-RA 2012.0434 (formerly MNHN-RA 8959B), MNHN-RA 8410, MNHN-RA 2012.0412 (formerly MNHN-RA 8410A), MNHN-RA 1973.0079-0080; ZMA.RENA 11154
Holotype: 15VM073. Although no specimens were sacrificed and deposited in a collection, we designate as holotype the specimen 15VM073 (male, adult), sampled in the Nfis meadows of the Tichka Plateau (Morocco) by F. Martínez-Freiría, A. Pimenta, and I. Freitas in 2015. For specimen description, and sequences and tissue availability, see Appendix 2 in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021. Paratypes: We designate the following three paratypes, all of them sampled in the Nfis meadows of the Tichka Plateau in Morocco: 15VM074 (adult, female) sampled by F. Martínez-Freiría, A. Pinto, and I. Freitas in 2015; and 19VM053 (adult, female) and 19VM059 (adult, male) sampled by F. Martínez-Freiría, I. Avella, F. Corga, U. Enríquez-Urzelai, and N. Lucchini in 2019. For specimens description, and sequences and tissue availability, see Appendix 2 in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021 [atlantica]
Holotype: MNCN 50498 (adult, female) collected by S. Larbes in 2010, de- posited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales—CSIC (Madrid, Spain). For specimen description, and sequences and tissue availability, see Appendix 3. Paratypes: BEV.11978 (juvenile) collected in Tislit lake, Imilchil (region Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco) by P. Geniez and A. Miralles in 2012, deposited in the Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Evolutive (Montpellier, France); BMNH 1894.3.22.5 (adult, male) collected near Tangier (Morocco) by an unknown collector in 1894, deposited in the Natural History Museum (London, UK); and MNCN 50497 (adult, male), collected in Aurès Mts, Batna (Algeria) by S. Larbes in 2018, deposited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales—CSIC (Madrid, Spain). For specimens description, and sequences and tissue availability, see Appendix 3 in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021 [saintgironsi] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (monticola): In relation to the other North African Mountain viper subspecies, V. m. monticola presents small size (but larger than the specimens from Western High Atlas), low number of intercanthal + intrasupraocular, loreal and periocular scales, moderate number of ventral scales, 19 dorsal rows (a characteristic also shared with vipers from other lineages), high number of dorsal marks and frequently, a barred dorsal pattern (a characteristic also shared with specimens from the Western High Atlas). Only dwarf specimens are known (see Table S7). See Figure 5a–c in MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021.


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CommentVenomous!

Synonymy: Vipera latastei montana is a junior secondary homonym of Vipera berus var. montana MÉHELY 189.

Distribution: Not in Morocco but possibly there; has been confused with V. latastei (Martínez et al. 2019, and pers. comm. 18 Jan 2021). For a map see Sindaco et al. 2013 and MARTÍNEZ-FREIRÍA et al. 2021: Fig. 3. 
EtymologyThe species name, ‘monticola’, is Latin for ‘inhabitant of the mountains’ (Latin “colere” = inhabiting).

The adjective “atlantica” refers to the location of this subspecies range, in the westernmost distribution range of the species, close to the Atlantic Ocean (at about 120 km in a straight line).

The adjective “saintgironsi” refers to Hubert Saint Girons, French herpetologist who extensively worked in biogeography, ecology, and taxonomy of European vipers, also describing V. monticola. 
References
  • Avella, Ignazio; Nahla Lucchini, Urtzi Enriquez-Urzelai, Frederico Corga & Fernando Martínez-Freiría 2019. New records for the reptile fauna of the Tichka plateau (western High Atlas, Morocco). Bol. Asoc. Herpetol. Esp. 30 (2) - get paper here
  • Beerli, P. Billing,H. & Schätti,B. 1986. Taxonomischer Status von Vipera latasti monticola Saint Girons 1953 (Serpentes, Viperidae). Salamandra 22: 101-104 - get paper here
  • Brito, José C.; Santos, Xavier; Pleguezuelos, Juan M.; Fahd, Soumia; Llorente, Gustavo A.; Parellada, Xavier 2006. Morphological variability of the Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei) and the Atlas dwarf viper (Vipera monticola: patterns of biogeographical distribution and taxonomy. Amphibia-Reptilia 27 (2): 219-240 - get paper here
  • Brodmann,P. 1987. Die Giftschlangen Europas und die Gattung Vipera in AFrika und Asien. Kümmerli und Frey, Bern, 148 pp.
  • Daan, S. & Hillenius,D. 1966. Catalogue of the type specimens of amphibians and reptiles in the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam. Beaufortia 13: 117-144
  • Dobiey, M. & Vogel, G. 2007. Venomous Snakes of Africa - Giftschlangen Afrikas. Edition Chimaira, Terralog 15, 150 pp. - get paper here
  • Freitas, Inês; Soumia Fahd, Guillermo Velo-Antón and Fernando Martínez-Freiría. 2018. Chasing the phantom: biogeography and conservation of Vipera latastei-monticola in the Maghreb (North Africa). Amphibia-Reptilia 39 (2): 145–161 - get paper here
  • FRITZ, P. & SCHELER, B. 2017. The Portrait: Vipera monticola Saint Girons, 1953. Sauria 39 (1): 1-2 - get paper here
  • Geniez, Philippe 2018. Snakes of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Princeton University Press, 384 pp. - get paper here
  • Gruber, U. 2009. Die Schlangen Europas, 2. Aufl. Kosmos Naturführer, 266 pp.
  • Herrmann, H.-W. 1993. Bemerkungen zum Beutespektrum von Vipera monticola. Salamandra 29 (1): 90-91 - get paper here
  • Martínez-Freiría, F., Freitas, I., Velo-Antón, G., Lucchini, N., Fahd, S., Larbes, S., Pleguezuelos, J. M., Santos, X., & Brito, J. C. 2021. Integrative taxonomy reveals two species and intraspecific differentiation in the Vipera latastei–monticola complex. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 00, 1– 29 - 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 del Mármol, Gabriel; D. James Harris, Philippe Geniez, Philip de Pous, and Daniele Salvi 2019. Amphibians and Reptiles of Morocco. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 478 pp - 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.
  • Obst, F.J. 1983. Zur Kenntnis der Schlangengattung Vipera. Zool. Abh. staatl. Mus. Tierkunde Dresden 38: 229-235
  • 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]
  • Pillet, J.M. 1994. New Data on the Distribution and Ecology of the Dwarf Viper of the High Atlas, Vipera monticola Saint Girons, 1954 (Reptilia, Viperidae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 101 (3): 645-653 - get paper here
  • Rouag R, Ziane N, De Sousa M 2024. A tentative list of reptilian fauna of Algeria and their conservation status. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e120471 - get paper here
  • Saint Girons, H. 1953. Une vipère naine: Vipera latastei montana. Bull. Soc. zool. Fr. 78: 24-28.
  • Saint Girons, H. 1954. Note rectificative au sujet de Vipera latastei montana, n. subsp. Bull. Soc. Zool France 78: 475
  • Schleich, H.H., Kästle,W., Kabisch, K. 1996. Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa. Koeltz, Koenigstein, 627 pp.
  • 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
  • Sochurek,E. 1979. Die Schlangen Nordafrikas. Mitt. Zool. Ges. Braunau 3 (8/9): 219-226
  • Trape, J.-F. 2023. Guide des serpents d’Afrique occidentale, centrale et d’Afrique du Nord. IRD Éditions, Marseille, 896 pp.
  • 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.
  • WESTERSTRÖM, A. 2010. Early record of the elusive Atlas Dwarf Viper Vipera monticola SAINT GIRONS, 1953, in the Moroccan High Atlas [Short Note]. Herpetozoa 23 (1/2): 103-104 - get paper here
 
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