Gloydius halys
Halysotter ( Gloydius halys )
The Halysotter ( Gloydius halys ) is a species of the same genus Halysottern ( Gloydius ) within the Asian pit vipers ( Crotalinae ). It is distributed over large parts of Asia and is beyond the only pit viper also in parts of Europe.
Features
The Halysotter is a medium sized Viper and reached an average length of about 60 to 70 cm, with single individuals and up to 80 cm long. The ground color is variable light gray to light brown to reddish brown to orange with a marking on the back of dark brown transverse bands and transverse spots. The body sides have directly above the belly scales a series of small dark spots. The belly is plain mottled light gray and rarely black. About the eyes a dark temple strap pulls up to the neck, on top of the head may be present more drawings in the shape of triangles. As a pit viper snake has a distinct pit organ between the nostril and the eye.
The head is flat and angular and clearly separated from the body. The relatively small eyes have vertical pupils. On top of the head are a total of nine clearly recognizable and unresolved head shields. Below the eyes are two to three rows of Under Eye shields ( Supraocularia ). The body scales are keeled. Around the middle of the body are 23 scale rows. The under tail- shields ( Subcaudalia ) are divided as in all species of the genus.
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area stretches across Russia to Siberia, east of the Ural Mountains to the south to Iran and has elements of Europe on the northern edge of the Caspian Sea and in the Transcaucasus. To the east the area extends into Mongolia and China and on the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.
The habitat of the snake is very different due to the large distribution area. The snake may be in different habitats from the plains to the mountains to be found at altitudes 2500-3500 m. They mostly preferred steppes, mountain slopes, gravel plains, mountain meadows and riverside with denser vegetation.
Way of life
The Halysotter is mainly crepuscular and is a pure ground snake. In the morning it can be observed especially in northern or high altitude areas while sunbathing. In general, it is well camouflaged on the ground, when threatened they produced by rubbing a horny nail at the base of the tail on the ground a rattling sound. Fault persists they move before and biting vigorously. Depending on the area it has a hibernation, which can last 4-6 months. The snake feeds mainly on small mammals, birds and bird eggs. The young snakes hunt lizards and grasshoppers.
The mating season is in April and May after the winter rest. The snake is viviparous ( ovoviviparous ) and brings in early fall 3 to 12 pups. The females are able to store sperm for years and bring pups without further copulations.
System
Until the early 1990s, depending on the author a number of American, Asian and European viper species were provided to the genus Agkistrodon, united in one taxon " Agkistrodontini " or a " Agkistrodon complex". The great difficulty in the systematic classification of the species were mainly due to the lack of differentiation between the original ( symplesiomorphen ) and derived ( apomorphen ) morphological features in this evolutionarily relatively original snake group due.
However, the common descent ( monophyly ) has since been demonstrated to the American representatives of the genus by molecular genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA. Furthermore, it was found that this much more closely with the rattlesnakes ( Crotalus and Sistrurus genera ) are used as with the previously provided to Agkistrodon Eurasian species. This Eurasian species have since been under the previously proposed genus Gloydius ( Halysottern ) taken. The taxon " Agkistrodontini " was rejected as clearly paraphyletic.
Within the genus Gloydius, the two Asian species Gloydius blomhoffi and Gloydius intermedius the closest relatives of Halysotter dar. These were partially considered a subspecies of Halysotter, are now acknowledged as a separate species on the basis of molecular data and features of the scalation.
Swell
Cited sources
The information in this article originate for the most part the limits given in literature sources, in addition, the following sources are cited: