VAPAGuide - Find terrestrial venomous snake by morphology (regional)

Find terrestrial venomous snake by morphology (regional)

Select the snake family or subfamily and your current world region. If you don't know the family/subfamily, go to the "Find terrestrial snake by morphology (general)" page and follow the instructions.

Selection


Elapids	Vipers	Pit Vipers

Morphological identification key

Viperinae

Are there several enlarged shields on the top of the head (generally 9) and round pupils?		yes	How many ventral scales (on the belly, from the neck to the anal plate A, which covers the cloaca) are present?	more than 170	Atractaspis sp.

				fewer than 160	Causus rhombeatus
no

Horn-like protuberance above the eyes, consisting of several small scales from the base to the tip?		yes			Pseudocerastes persicus


no

Are all the subcaudal scales (underneath the tail, from behind the anal plate A, which covers the cloaca) undivided?		yes			Echis sp.


no

Do the ventral scales (on the belly) have lateral keels?		yes	Where did the accident take place? Southeastern Iran, Afghanistan or Pakistan?	yes	Eristicophis macmahoni

				no	Cerastes sp.
no

What is the appearance of the region between the nasal scale (scale on which the nostril is located, N) and the rostral scale (forwardmost scale on the tip of the snout, R)? a) Nasal scale in contact with the rostral scale or separated by a single scale?	b) 1 or more rows of scales separate the nasal and rostral scales?


		a			-Vipera sp. ("European Vipers"), -Vipera sp. ("Asiatic Vipers") -Macrovipera sp.

		b			Bitis arietans