Bitis worthingtoni

Bitis worthingtoni, the Kenya horned viper, is a venomous viper species endemic to the high central Rift Valley of Kenya. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2]

Bitis worthingtoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Bitis
Species:
B. worthingtoni
Binomial name
Bitis worthingtoni
Parker, 1932[1]

Taxonomy

The specific name, worthingtoni, is in honor of British zoologist Edgar Barton Worthington,[3] collector of the first specimen.[4]

The common name is Kenya horned viper.[5][6]

Description

Bitis worthingtoni grows to a total length (body + tail) of 20 to 40 cm (7.9 to 15.7 in), with a maximum total length of 50 cm (20 in).[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

Restricted to Kenya's high central Rift Valley at elevations over 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the type locality given for B. worthingtoni is the "shore of Lake Naivasha", [Kenya][1][5]

Conservation status

Currently, the species B. worthingtoni is not listed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species or on any of the CITES Appendices, but in 2004, a proposal was submitted by Kenya to have it listed on CITES Appendix II. The actual status of the species is unknown, but it is reasoned that the Kenyan proposal is justified due to the species' restricted geographic range, habitat loss, demand by reptile collectors and the existence of illegal trade.[7]

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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. "Bitis worthingtoni". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Bitis worthingtoni, p. 289).
  4. "Bitis worthingtoni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  5. 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.
  6. Spawls S, Branch B (1995). The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.
  7. "Bitis worthingtoni ". CoP13 at Species Survival Network. Accessed 8 October 2006.

Further reading
  • Parker HW (1932). "Scientific results of the Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes, 1930-1. — 5. Reptiles and Amphibians". Journ. Linnaean Soc. London, Zool. 38: 213-229. (Bitis worthingtoni, new species, p. 221).
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