:''Common name: Bale Mountains adder, Ethiopian mountain adder,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . Ethiopian viper, Ethiopian mountain viper.'' ''Bitis parviocula'' is a

venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

found only in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. It is large with a broad head and spectacular geometric markings. In 1995, the species was known from only three specimens, but additional information has surfaced since then. Little is known about its natural history or its

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

.Largen, M., and Spawls, S. 2010. ''The Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea.'' Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimara. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Etymology

The specific name, ''parviocula'', meaning "small-eyed", is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words ''parvus'', meaning "small", and ''oculus'', meaning "eye".Ullman BL, Henry NE. 1931. ''New Elementary Latin''. New York: Macmillan. 448 pp. + indices.

Description

Of the first three specimens, the maximum recorded total length (body + tail) was , but it is now known to reach a total length of at least . The head is long, flat, triangular and covered with small, strongly

keeled scales Keeled scales refer to reptile scales that, rather than being smooth, have a ridge down the center that may or may not extend to the tip of the scale, Campbell, J. A., Lamar, W. W. (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Itha ...

. The nostrils are large and set well forward. The head is distinct from the thin neck. The body is cylindrical with a slight vertebral ridge, while the tail is short. The

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down t ...

are keeled and are arranged in 37–39 rows at midbody. The color pattern consists of a light brown to dark brown ground color, overlaid with a series of black hexagons or diamonds that run down the center of the back. The black hexagons may have paler crossbars, while being separated from each other by a chain of yellow butterfly shapes. A series of black triangular or subtriangular spots, each with a white center, run down the upper flanks. The lower flanks have a series of greenish-gray triangles, pointing upwards, with yellow edges, especially the tips. The flanks between these triangles are a mottled green color. The head is brown with a dark triangle between the eyes and a dark hammer shape just behind it that extends onto the nape of the neck. The iris is brown. The side of the head is dark, but with a pale stripe that runs from the eye down to the labials. The upper labial scales are white. The chin and throat are white with black speckling. The belly is greenish-gray and may be clear, or with black speckling.

Geographic range

Known from only five localities in

, it is found on both sides of the

Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear d ...

, both in the Bale Mountains to the east and between Bonga and

Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...

to the west. It has been collected at altitudes of . The type locality is given as "Doki River bridge (), ''bei Yambo'' (=Yembo), ''an der Straße von

Metu Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey. The university emphasizes research and education in engineering a ...

nach Bedelle, Provinz Illubabor, SW-Äthiopien''" thiopia

Habitat

Of the three specimens known in 1995, two were found in

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed areas west of the

and one was found in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

to the east. Of the two western specimens, one was caught in a forest clearing in an old coffee

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, while the other was found in a forest town, hiding in grass of the grounds of a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

. The eastern specimen was found in high grassland near a rocky stream.

Behavior

Mostly unknown, its behavior is assumed to be

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

and nocturnal. In 1995, the only living specimen known was less irritable than the typical puff adder ('' B. arietans'') and was not inclined to strike. However, it hissed when teased and struggled "furiously" when restrained, suggesting its temperament may be similar to that of the Gaboon viper ('' B. gabonica'').

Venom

Until recently, the

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

and composition of the venom essentially was unknown. It is assumed to cause at least some of the bites reported in the densely populated regions where it occurs. The local people consider it very dangerous. The first US envenomation of a person was in March 2009 when a herpetologist from Texas was bitten in the finger by a young, captive ''B. parviocula'', which he survived. It is the only well-documented bite report of this snake. The venom of this species can be neutralized by SAIMR

antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if th ...

References

External links

''Bitis parviocula'' image
a
Blue Chameleon Ventures
Accessed 6 June 2006. * . Accessed 25 January 2009. * . Accessed 25 January 2009. * . Accessed 25 January 2009. {{Taxonbar, from=Q257576 parviocula Snakes of Africa Reptiles of Ethiopia Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Reptiles described in 1977 Taxa named by Wolfgang Böhme (herpetologist)