Bitis

Bitis arietans

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Viperoidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Superclassis: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Cladus: Sauropsida Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Subclassis: Diapsida Cladus: Sauria Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha Superordo: Lepidosauria Ordo: Squamata Cladus: Unidentata, Episquamata Cladus: Toxicofera Subordo: Serpentes Infraordo: Caenophidia Superfamilia: Viperoidea

Familia: Viperidae
Subfamilia: Viperinae
Genus: Bitis
Species (18): B. albanica – B. arietans – B. armata – B. atropos – B. caudalis – B. cornuta – B. gabonica – B. harenna – B. heraldica – B. inornata – B. nasicornis – B. parviocula – B. peringueyi – B. rhinoceros – B. rubida – B. schneideri – B. worthingtoni – B. xeropaga

Name

Bitis Gray, 1842: 69 [conserved name]

• Type species: Vipera (Echidna) arietans Merrem, 1820, by subsequent designation by Opinion 188 (1945: 87).
• Placed on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology by Opinion 188 (1945: 87).

Synonymy

• Cobra Laurenti, 1768: 103 [suppressed name]
  • Type species: Coluber atropos Linnaeus, 1758, by subsequent designation of Stejneger (1936: 140).
  • Placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology by Opinion 188 (1945: 87).
• Echidna Merrem, 1820: 14 [nomen praeoccupatum pro Echidna Forster, 1788]
  • Type species: Vipera arietans Merrem, 1820, by subsequent designation.
• Clotho Gray, 1842: 69 [nomen praeoccupatum pro Clotho Walckenaer, 1808 and Clotho de Blainville, 1824]
  • Type species: Cobra clotho Laurenti, 1768, by absolute tautonymy.
• Calechidna Tschudi, 1845: 60 [as subgenus of Echidna]
  • Type species: Echidna ocellata Tschudi, 1845, by monotypy.
• Hallowellius Reuss, 1939: 14
  • Type species: Echidna gabonica Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854, by original designation.
• Macrocerastes Reuss, 1939: 14
  • Type species: Coluber nasicornis Shaw, 1792, by original designation.
• Keniabitis Lenk, Herrmann, Joger & Wink, 1999: 36 [as subgenus]
  • Type species: Bitis worthingtoni Parker, 1932, by original designation.

References

Primary references

• Laurenti, J.N. 1768. Specimen medicum, exhibens synopsin reptilium emendatam cum experimentis circa venena et antidota reptilium austriacorum, quod authoritate et consensu (In Latin). Joan Thomae: Vienna. 217 pp. BHL Reference page. 
• Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien. Johann Christian Krieger: Marburg. xv + 191 pp., 1 pl. BHL Reference page. 
• Gray, J.E. 1842. Monographic Synopsis of the Vipers or the family Viperidae. Zoological Miscellany 2: 68–71. BHL
• International Commisision on Zoological Nomenclature 1945. Opinion 188. Suppression of the name Cobra Laurenti 1768 and suspension of the rules for Bitis Gray, 1842. pp. 77–92 In Hemming, F. (ed.). Opinions and declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Volume 3, part 7. International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature: London. 448 pp. BHL Reference page. 
• Lenk, P., Herrmann, H.-W., Joger, U. & Wink, M. 1999. Phylogeny and taxonomic subdivision of Bitis (Reptilia: Viperidae) based on molecular evidence. Kaupia 8: 31–38. Reference page. 

Additional references

• Ashe, J.S. & Marx, H. 1988. Phylogeny of the viperine snakes (Viperinae): Part II. Cladistic analysis and major lineages. Fieldiana: Zoology new series 52: 1–23. BHL Reference page. 
• Wittenberg, R.D., Jadin, R.C., Fenwick, A.M. & Gutberlet Jr., R.L. 2015. Recovering the evolutionary history of Africa’s most diverse viper genus: morphological and molecular phylogeny of Bitis (Reptilia: Squamata: Viperidae). Organisms Diversity & Evolution 15(1): 115–125. DOI: 10.1007/s13127-014-0185-3 Reference page. 
• Gower, D.J., Wade, E., Spawls, S., Böhme, W., Buechley, E.R., Sykes, D. & Colston, T.J. 2016. A new large species of Bitis Gray, 1842 (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. Zootaxa 4093(1): 41–63. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.1.3 Reference page. 
• Barlow, A., Wüster, W., Kelly, C.M.R., Branch, W.R., Phelps, T. & Tolley, K.A. 2019. Ancient habitat shifts and organismal diversification are decoupled in the African viper genus Bitis (Serpentes: Viperidae). Journal of Biogeography 46(6): 1234–1248. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13578 Reference page. 

Links

• Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2024. Bitis . The Reptile Database. Accessed on 31 May 2022.

Vernacular names

Deutsch: Puffottern
English: Adders

For more multimedia, look at Bitis on Wikimedia Commons.