Home - Taxonomy - Geography - Biodiversity - Literature - Purchase RepFocus Recent updates
Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: July 16th, 2024.


Taxonomy of the family Viperidae
Bibliography of the genus Macrovipera
Biodiversity of the family Viperidae








Genus
Macrovipera

Giant Vipers

Riesenottern, Grossottern

Kæmpehugorme

1927 Macrovipera Reuss (type species: Coluber lebetinus Linnaeus 1758)
Contents: 3 species, of which 2 (66.7%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: The species lebetinus and schweizeri were previously included in Vipera, and regarded as subspecies of a single species, lebetinus. Also Daboia deserti and D. mauritanica were previously regarded as subspecies of M. lebetinus, or separate species of the genus Macrovipera, respectively, but Lenk, Kalyabina, Wink & Joger (2001) restricted Macrovipera to contain only lebetinus and schweizeri.
Distribution: NW. Africa, Middle East, C. Asia.
Reported from: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece (Aegean Islands: Cyclades Islands), India (Jammu & Kashmir), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Macrovipera lebetinus

Blunt-nosed Viper, Kufi

Nördliche Riesenotter

Nordlig Kæmpehugorm

1758 Coluber lebetinus Linnaeus
Vipera lebetina Daudin 1803
Macrovipera lebetina Reuss 1927
Daboia lebetina Obst 1983
1832 Vipera obtusa Dvigubsky
Vipera lebetina obtusa Terentjev & Chernov 1940
Daboia lebetina obtusa Obst 1983
Macrovipera lebetina obtusa Golay & al. 1993
1838 Vipera euphratica Martin (Leviton, Anderson, Adler & Minton 1992; Golay & al. 1993)
Daboia euphratica Gray 1849
Vipera lebetina euphratica Schmidt 1939
Macrovipera lebetina euphratica David & Vogel 2010
1892 Vipera peilei Murray (Golay & al. 1993)
1933 Macrovipera lebetina cypriensis Reuss (Golay & al. 1993)
Vipera lebetina cypriensis Schätti & Sigg 1989
1940 Vipera lebetina turanica Chernov
Daboia lebetina turanica Obst 1983
Macrovipera lebetina turanica Golay & al. 1993
1988 Vipera lebetina transmediterranea Nilson & Andren
Macrovipera lebetina transmediterranea Golay & al. 1993
1992 Vipera lebetina cernovi Chikin & Szczerbak
Macrovipera lebetina cernovi McDiarmid, Campbell & Touré 1999

Other common names:
cernovi: Cernov's Blunt-nosed Viper
euphratica: Euphrates Blunt-nosed Viper, Mesopotamian Blunt-nosed Viper
lebetinus: Cyprian Blunt-nosed Viper, DK: Cypriotisk Kæmpehugorm
obtusa: West Asian Blunt-nosed Viper, Levant Blunt-nosed Viper, Levant Viper, Levantine Viper, Transcaucasian Blunt-nosed Viper
turanica: Central Asian Blunt-nosed Viper, Turan Blunt-nosed Viper, Russian Blunt-nosed Viper
Remarks: Previously included Montivipera raddei and the population now assigned to razii. Venchi & Sindaco (2007) questioned the presence of lebetinus in northern Africa and thereby the taxonomic status of the taxon transmediterranea. The only known specimen from Tunisia is without exact locality data. Not listed for Algeria by Rouag, Ziane & Sousa (2024). It has been suggested that the presence of lebetinus in North Africa is based on introductions from Asia Minor during Antiquity (Rouag, Ziane & Sousa 2024). See further remarks under genus. Also the validity of euphratica is disputed. It has been considered a synonym of the subspecies lebetinus (e.g., Leviton, Anderson, Adler & Minton 1992; Golay & al. 1993) or a valid subspecies (e.g., David & Vogel 2010). Reports of lebetinus from Yemen (Scortecci 1929, 1932) are considered unreliable (Gasperetti 1988; Sindaco, Venchi & Grieco 2013). Joger (in David & Ineich 1999, p. 388) suggested that the presence of lebetinus in India (Jammu & Kashmir) may refer to the Pakistani part of this disputed territory. As shown by Frétey (2019), the specific epithet lebetinus is a noun in apposition, not an adjective. Thus, the correct spelling is lebetinus, although lebetina is seen almost consistently in older publications.
Extinct in: Israel.
Distribution: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, India (Jammu & Kashmir), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.


Macrovipera lebetinus
© Rune Midtgaard

Macrovipera razii

Iranian Giant Viper

Iranische Riesenotter

Iransk Kæmpehugorm

2018 Macrovipera razii Oraie, Rastegar-Pouyani, Khosravani, Moradi, Akbari, Sehhatisabet, Shafiei, Stümpel & Joger

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of lebetinus (Oraie, Rastegar-Pouyani, Khosravani, Moradi, Akbari, Sehhatisabet, Shafiei, Stümpel & Joger 2018).
Distribution: Iran.





Macrovipera schweizeri

Milos Viper, Milos Blunt-nosed Viper, Cyclades Blunt-nosed Viper

Milosotter, Kykladenotter

Miloshugorm

1935 Vipera lebetina schweizeri Werner
Daboia lebetina schweizeri Obst 1983
Vipera schweizeri Nilson & Andrén 1988
Macrovipera schweizeri Herrmann, Joger & Nilson 1992
1952 Vipera lebetina siphnensis Wettstein (Golay & al. 1993)
Macrovipera schweizeri siphnensis Venchi & Sindaco 2007

Remarks: Status uncertain (Sindaco, Venchi & Grieco 2013; Freitas & al. 2020). Considered a synonym of lebetinus by Stumpel & Joger (2009). Freitas & al. (2020) also regarded the species status of schweizeri as doubtful and suggested that subspecies status within lebetinus might be more appropriate. Further studies are needed.
Distribution: Greece (Aegean Islands: Cyclades Islands),