Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update:
July 16th, 2024.
 
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Genus
Macrovipera
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Giant Vipers
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Riesenottern, Grossottern
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Kæmpehugorme
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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.
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Macrovipera lebetinus
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Blunt-nosed Viper, Kufi
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Nördliche Riesenotter
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Nordlig Kæmpehugorm
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1758 | |
Coluber lebetinus Linnaeus |
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Vipera lebetina Daudin 1803 |
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Macrovipera lebetina Reuss 1927 |
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Daboia lebetina Obst 1983 |
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1832 | |
Vipera obtusa Dvigubsky |
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Vipera lebetina obtusa Terentjev & Chernov 1940 |
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Daboia lebetina obtusa Obst 1983 |
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Macrovipera lebetina obtusa Golay & al. 1993 |
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1838 | |
Vipera euphratica Martin (Leviton, Anderson, Adler & Minton 1992; Golay & al. 1993) |
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Daboia euphratica Gray 1849 |
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Vipera lebetina euphratica Schmidt 1939 |
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Macrovipera lebetina euphratica David & Vogel 2010 |
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1892 | |
Vipera peilei Murray (Golay & al. 1993) |
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1933 | |
Macrovipera lebetina cypriensis Reuss (Golay & al. 1993) |
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Vipera lebetina cypriensis Schätti & Sigg 1989 |
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1940 | |
Vipera lebetina turanica Chernov |
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Daboia lebetina turanica Obst 1983 |
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Macrovipera lebetina turanica Golay & al. 1993 |
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1988 | |
Vipera lebetina transmediterranea Nilson & Andren |
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Macrovipera lebetina transmediterranea Golay & al. 1993 |
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1992 | |
Vipera lebetina cernovi Chikin & Szczerbak |
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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.
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Macrovipera lebetinus
© Rune Midtgaard
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Macrovipera razii
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Iranian Giant Viper
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Iranische Riesenotter
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Iransk Kæmpehugorm
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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.
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Macrovipera schweizeri
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Milos Viper, Milos Blunt-nosed Viper, Cyclades Blunt-nosed Viper
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Milosotter, Kykladenotter
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Miloshugorm
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1935 | |
Vipera lebetina schweizeri Werner |
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Daboia lebetina schweizeri Obst 1983 |
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Vipera schweizeri Nilson & Andrén 1988 |
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Macrovipera schweizeri Herrmann, Joger & Nilson 1992 |
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1952 | |
Vipera lebetina siphnensis Wettstein (Golay & al. 1993) |
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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),
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