:''Common names: Siberian pit viper, Gloyd HK, Conant R (1990). ''Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex: A Monographic Review''. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 614 pp. 52 plates. LCCN 89-50342. . Halys viper,Gotch, Arthur Frederick (1986). ''Reptiles – Their Latin Names Explained''. Poole, UK: Blandford Press. 176 pp. . Halys pit viper, Steward JW (1971). ''The Snakes of Europe''. Cranbury, New Jersey: Associated University Press (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press). 238 pp. LCCCN 77-163307. . more.'' ''Gloydius halys'' is a

pit viper The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . or pit adders, are a subfamily (biology), subfamily of Viperidae, vipers found in Asia and the ...

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 within a wide range that stretches across Asia, from Russia, east of the

Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

, eastwards through China. Four

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, including the nominotypical form described here.

Description

''Gloydius halys'' grows to a maximum total length of , which was for a female, with an included tail length of . The largest male on record measured in total length, which included a tail length of . The body build is described as moderately stout with a snout that is slightly upturned when viewed from the side.

Dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

, ''G. halys'' is grayish, pale brown, reddish, or yellowish, with large dark spots or crossbars, the borders of which are serrated. One or two lateral series of smaller dark spots are present. There is a wide dark stripe behind the eye, bordered by light stripes both above and below. The venter is whitish, speckled with gray or brown. The strongly keeled

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 ...

are arranged in 23 rows at midbody. The ventrals number 149-174. The anal plate is entire. The

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 ...

number 31-44, and are divided (paired). Boulenger GA (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the ... Viperidæ.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (''Ancistrodon halys'', pp. 524–525).

Common names

Common names for ''G. halys'' include Siberian pit viper, Halys viper, Halys pit viper, Pallas's pit viper, Asiatic pit viper, Asiatic moccasin, shchitomordnik,Brown, John Haynes (1973). ''Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes''. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. . Pallas's viper, Pallas pit viper, Korean pit viper, Mongolian pit viper.U.S. Navy (1991). ''Poisonous Snakes of the World''. New York: U.S. Government / Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. .

Geographic range

''Gloydius halys'' is found in Russia, east of the Ural Mountains through

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, Iran, Mongolia to northern and central China, as well as the southern Ryukyu Islands of Japan. According to Gloyd and Conant (1990), the type locality given is "Salt Lake near the Lugaskoi Sawod (factory) on the Upper

Yenisey The Yenisey or Yenisei ( ; , ) is the list of rivers by length, fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal a ...

" (Siberia, Russia). Redefined by Bour (1993) as "Naryn or Ryn Peski desert, near the Russia-Kazakhstan border".

Subspecies

Etymology

The

subspecific name In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...

, ''boehmei'', is in honor of German herpetologist

Wolfgang Böhme Wolfgang Böhme (born 17 December 1949) is an East Germany, East German former Team handball, handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born in Wolfen, Germany, Wolfen. He was the husband of Ute Rührold, but they are now d ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Gloydius halys boehmei'', p. 30).

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q727632 halys Snakes of Asia Reptiles of Afghanistan Reptiles of Azerbaijan Snakes of China Reptiles of Iran Reptiles of Mongolia Reptiles of Central Asia Reptiles of Russia Fauna of Siberia Reptiles described in 1776 Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas