Vipera aspis hugyi
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Vipera aspis hugyi

Vipera aspis hugyi is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to southern Italy.

Animal name origin

The species is also known as the Southern Italian asp, the South-Italian asp viper, or Hugy's viper. Previously, several other common names were used to describe a subspecies that is now part of the synonymy of this form, the Monte Cristo viper or Monte Cristo asp viper for Vipera aspis montecristi.

Appearance

Usually, it is marked with a fused zigzag stripe and has a distinctly raised snout. Specimens from Montecristo Island, sometimes referred to as V. a. montecristi, are similar, but with a reduced tendency for the dorsal markings to fuse.

Distribution

Geography

It is found in Italy in Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Montecristo Island.

References

1. Vipera aspis hugyi Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_aspis_hugyi

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