Macrovipera lebetina turanica

Macrovipera lebetina turanica is a venomous viper subspecies[3] endemic to Asia.[4]

Macrovipera lebetina turanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Macrovipera
Species:
M. lebetina
Subspecies:
M. l. turanica
Trinomial name
Macrovipera lebetina turanica
Synonyms
  • Vipera lebetina turanica Chernov, 1940
    In Terentjev & Chernov, 1940
  • Daboia (Daboia) lebetina turanica — Obst, 1983
  • Macrovipera lebetina turanica — Golay et al., 1993[1]
Common names: Turan blunt-nosed viper.[2]

Description

The dorsal color pattern consists of a dark ground color with a lighter, orange zigzag pattern. The supraoculars are usually semidivided.[4]

Geographic range

It is found in eastern Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southwestern Kazakhstan, and parts of northern Afghanistan and western Pakistan.[4]

Venom

Not much is known about its venom but it contains procoagulants (fibrinogenases) and likely contains myotoxins. It's also possible that it contains hemorrhagins and cytotoxins. The average venom yield per bite is somewhere between 31–63 mg (dry weight). It has been known to have caused death in adult humans, and although the envenoming rate is unknown, it is suspected to be high. Symptoms of envenomation include variable non-specific effects which may include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse, or convulsions. There are also marked local effects including pain, severe swelling, bruising, blistering, and moderate to severe necrosis. Other effects include moderate to severe coagulopathy and hemorrhagins causing extensive bleeding.[5]

References
  1. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
  3. "Macrovipera lebetina turanica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 10 August 2006.
  4. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2.
  5. "Macrovipera lebetina". Clinical Toxinology Resource. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 9 April 2012.

Further reading
  • Golay P, Smith HM, Broadley DG, Dixon JR, McCarthy CJ, Rage J-C, Schätti B, Toriba M. 1993. Endoglyphs and Other Major Venomous Snakes of the World: A Checklist. Geneva: Azemiops Herpetological Data Center. 478 pp.
  • Obst FJ. 1983. Zur Kenntnis der Schlangengattung Vipera. Zool. Abh. staatl. Mus. Tierkunde Dresden 38: 229-235.
  • Terentiev PV, Chernov SA. 1940. [A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the USSR, Second Revised and Enlarged Edition]. Leningrad: Uchpedgiz. (in Russian).
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