''Bitis peringueyi'', also known as the Peringuey's adder, Spawls S, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. . Peringuey's desert adder or desert sidewinding 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. . is a

viper Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipe ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

found in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and southern

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. No

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are currently recognized.

Description

''Bitis peringueyi'' is a small snake with an average total length (including tail) of 20–25 cm (8–10 in), its maximum recorded total length is . The head is short and flat with eyes located on top of the head. The head is covered with strongly

keeled scales Keeled Scales is an independent record label based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2014 by musicians Tony Presley (Real Live Tigers) and Seth Whaland (Literature, Tres Oui). The label has released over 60 albums from artists such as Buck Mee ...

, the smallest of which are located anteriorly. The eyes are separated by six to 9 scales, while each eye is surrounded by 10-13 scales. Two to four scales separate the suborbitals from the

supralabials In reptiles, the supralabial scales, also called upper-labials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the upper jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates ( ...

. The latter number 10-14, the

sublabials In reptiles, the sublabial scales, also called lower-labials or infralabials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the lower jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publis ...

10-13. The one pair of chin shields contact the first two to four sublabials. 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. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

number 23-31 at midbody and 21-27 anteriorly. All are strongly keeled, except those bordering the

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

are large and smooth. The ventrals number 117-144. The 15-30

subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. (7t ...

are usually keeled, particularly towards the tip. The anal plate is single. The color pattern consists of a pale buff, chestnut brown to orange-brown, or sandy-grayish ground color, overlaid with three longitudinal series of faint, elongate, gray to dark spots. The body is also stippled with an irregular pattern of pale and dark spots. The belly is usually whitish or dirty yellow. The tail is generally tan, but in 25% of specimens, it is black.

Common names

Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s for ''B. peringueyi'' include Peringuey's adder, Peringuey's desert adder, sidewinding adder, Namib dwarf sand adder, dwarf puff adder,Gotch AF (1986). ''Reptiles – Their Latin Names Explained''. Poole, UK: Blandford Press. 176 pp. . Namib desert sidewinding adder,SNA 020STA026 01
a
Foto S.A.
Accessed 29 December 2006. dwarf sand adder, Namib dwarf adder, Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . and Namib desert viper. Brown JH (1973). ''Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes''. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. .

Etymology

This adder, ''B. peringueyi'', was named after Louis Péringuey, the South African entomologist and museum director.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Bitis peringueyi'', p. 203).

Geographic range

''Bitis peringueyi'' is found in the

Namib The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...

from southern

Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. Lüderitz had a population of 16,125 people in 2023. Th ...

. Also seen in the Fish River Canyon. They are also found in areas of the Sahara desert and tend to live near sand dunes. The type locality is given as "

Damaraland Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of South West Africa, which later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bordered roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the e ...

, 10 miles east of Walfisch Bay" amibia

Behavior

An ambush hunter, ''B. peringueyi'' buries itself just beneath the surface of the sand with only its eyes and the tip of its tail exposed. Its skull represents a sharp shape to cut through the sand. Its skull is sharp to penetrate the sand around it.Peringuey's Desert Adder (''Bitis peringueyi)''
a
The Colorado Herpetological Society
Accessed 18 March 2007. (individuals with black tail-tips employ caudal luring). When prey happens by, it is seized and envenomated.

Feeding

The diet of ''B. peringueyi'' includes the

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

s '' Meroles'', and the barking gecko '' Ptenopus''. ''Aporosaura'' lizards have high water contents and are important sources of water for these snakes.

References

External links

* . Accessed 28 May 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q244298 peringueyi Snakes of Africa Reptiles of Angola Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles described in 1888 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger