Vipera dinniki

Vipera dinniki is a species of venomous viper endemic to the Caucasus Mountains region, part of Russia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.[2] No subspecies are currently recognized.[4]

Vipera dinniki
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Vipera
Species:
V. dinniki
Binomial name
Vipera dinniki
Nikolsky, 1913
Synonyms[2]
  • Vipera berus dinniki
    Nikolsky, 1913
  • Coluber berus dinniki
    — Nikolsky, 1916
  • Vipera tigrina
    Zarevskij, 1917
  • Mesocoronis (Tzarevscya) tigrina
    — A.F. Reuss, 1929
  • Vipera kaznakowi dinnicki [sic]
    Darevskij, 1956
  • Vipera kaznakowi orientalis
    Vedmederja, 1984
  • Vipera dinnicki
    — Vedmederja, Grubant & Rudajeva, 1986
  • Vipera dinniki
    — Orlov & Tuniyev, 1990
Common names: Dinnik's viper, Caucasus subalpine viper.[3]

Etymology

The specific name, dinniki, is in honor of Russian herpetologist Nikolai Yakovlevich Dinnik.[5][6]

Description

Of the 49 Russian specimens of V. dinniki examined by Orlov and Tuniyev (1990), 29 were males, and the largest male measured 41.2 cm (16.2 in) in total length (body + tail). Of the 20 females, the largest was 48.6 cm (19.1 in) in total length.[3]

Geographic range

Vipera dinniki is found from Russia (Great Caucasus) and Georgia (high mountain basin of the Inguri River), eastward to Azerbaijan.

According to Nikolsky (1916), the type locality is "upper reaches of the Malaya Laba 8000 feet [2438 m] above sea level ... and Svanetia, 7000 feet [2134 m] above sea level." According to Nilson et al. (1995), Vedmederja et al. (1986) restricted the type locality to "Malaya Laba" through lectotype selection. Orlov and Tuniyev (1990) give the lectotype locality as "Upper reaches of the Mala (Small) Laba River, Northern Caucasus".[2]

Conservation status

This species, V. dinikki, is classified as vulnerable according to the IUCN with the following criteria: B1ab(iii,v) (v3.1, 2009).[1] This indicates, that the population occupies a severely fragmented area over a range of less than 20,000 km2. A continued decline in habitat size or quality and in population is expected.[7]

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References
  1. Tuniyev B, Nilson G, Agasyan A, Orlov N, Tuniyev S (2009). "Vipera dinniki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2015-02-21.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. "Vipera dinniki". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 17 August 2006.
  5. 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. (Vipera dinniki, p. 73).
  6. Lescure, Jean; Le Garff, Bernard (2006). L'étymologie des noms d'amphibiens et de reptiles d'Europe. Paris: Éditions Belin. 207 pp. ISBN 2-7011-4142-7. (in French).
  7. 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 21 February 2015.

Further reading
  • Nilson G, Tuniyev BS, Orlov NL, Höggren M, Andrén C (1995). "Systematics of the vipers of the Caucasus: Polymorphism or sibling species?" Asiatic Herpetological Research 6: 1-26.
  • Nikolsky AM (1913). Reptiles and Amphibians of the Caucasus (Herpetologia caucasia). Tiflis: The Caucasus Museum Publishing. 272 pp. (Vipera berus dinniki, new subspecies). (in Russian).
  • Orlov NL, Tuniyev BS (1990). "Three species in the Vipera kaznakowi complex (Eurosiberian Group) in the Caucasus: Their present distribution, possible genesis, and phylogeny". Asiatic Herpetological Research 3: 1-36.
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