Vipera ursinii



Meadow viper - Vipera ursinii - Bonaparte, 1835
Named in honor of Italian naturalist Antonio Orsini (1788–1870), Vipera ursinii It is one of the few species of venomous snakes in Europe, with a wide but very fragmented range, from western Europe to central Asia.

Description:
The meadow viper is the smallest European viper with a length of 400-500 mm of its slender body, the record length being 630 mm. Females are larger than males. The head is narrow with snout obtusely pointed and eyes are small with vertical pupils. The tail is short compared to other species of snakes (proportionally longer in males). The scales are strongly keeled on the back side (in 19 rows, rarely 21 or 21) and less strongly on the sides. The ventral shields are 120 to 135 in males, 125 to 142 in females, the anal plate is not divided and the subcaudals are 30 to 37 in males and 20 to 28 in females.
At this species there is no evident difference in the coloration between males and females. The color of the body is yellowish or light grey to pale brown, lighter dorsally and darker grey or brown on the sides. Along the back is a dark wavy band (often broken up into transversely oval, elliptic, or rhomboidal dark brown, black-edged spots) which is dark brown or reddish with a narrow black border. Along the sides of the body there are a two or three series of dark spots. A dark stripe occurs from the backwards of the eyes to the angle of mouth. On the upper surface of the head there are small dark spots and one or two “V” or “X”-shaped markings. Ventrally the color ranges from black to dark grey or whitish with contrasting spots. Melanistic specimens occasionally occur.

Biology:
The meadow viper diet consists in a variety of animal species, most commonly orthopterans (such as grasshoppers and crickets) and occasionally beetles, lizards, rodents and birds, the invertebrates predominating between July and September, the vertebrates being eaten early in the season.
This species is almost exclusively diurnal. During very hot weather, lowland populations sometimes exhibit nocturnal behavior. Meadow vipers will undergo different periods of hibernation in cold season. The hibernation period is from October/November to March/April being up to 6 months for the subspecies in mountain areas.
This species is ovoviviparous meaning that the females retain the eggs throughout gestation and give birth to live young. The mating occurs typically in April/May and the young snakes are born in August/September (sometimes only every second year) the clutch size being correlated with female body size (usually 4 to 8, up to 20). They reach sexual maturity at 4 -5 years old.
Meadow vipers have weak venom, the poison having little effect on man and may remain for long periods in relatively small areas (100 sqm).
They have many natural predators like birds of prey, wild cats, mustelids and other snake species (like Coronella austriaca).

Habitat:
Meadow vipers inhabit two types of habitat:
- well-drained alpine and subalpine meadows between 900 and 3,000 m in altitude;
- dry lowland meadow-steppe grasslands, usually below 300 m and up to 800 m.
The highland populations are found on well drained rocky hillsides, warm, sunny south or east facing slopes, often on a limestone substrate. A very important habitat component is the presence of a diverse cover of grasses and low herbaceous plants (providing basking areas and shelter). They are also found at or above the tree line, shelter from the wind being important too, and in sites with dwarf juniper (Juniperus nana) which provides good protection.
Lowland populations are found in either steppe, or dry or damp meadows or marshy areas, unshaded by shrubs or trees with a diverse vegetation structure (the presence of grass tussocks being essentially), as well as dry sandy meadows (in the Danube Delta).

Distribution:
Southeastern France, eastern Austria (extinct), Hungary, central Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, northern and northeastern Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Romania, northern Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, northwestern Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan steppes to China (Xinjiang).
“Joger and Stümpel (2005), recently recognized V. ursinii as being restricted to Europe, ranging as isolated populations from France in the west to Moldova in the east. They further recognized populations east of Moldova, formerly allocated to V. ursinii, as belonging to V. renardi (Christoph, 1861).”
It is considered extinct in Austria and Bulgaria, and is close to extinction in Hungary and Moldova.
Vipera ursinii ursinii (Italy and France); 
Vipera ursinii macrops (Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania);
Vipera ursinii graeca (Greece);
Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (Hungary, Austria, Romania – Transilvania);
Vipera ursinii moldavica (Romania - Moldova and Danube Delta, Moldova, Bulgaria).

Scientific name: Vipera ursinii

Common name: meadow viper, Ursini's viper, meadow adder, Orsini's viper, field viper, field adder, Moldavian meadow viper.

Taxonomy:
Species: Vipera ursinii 
Subspecies: Vipera ursinii ursinii (BONAPARTE, 1835) 
Vipera ursinii graeca (NILSON & ANDRÉN, 1988)
Vipera ursinii macrops (MÉHELY, 1911)
Vipera ursinii moldavica (NILSON, ANDRÉN & JOGER, 1993)
Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (MÉHELY, 1893)

IUCN Status:“Listed as Vulnerable because its Area of Occupancy is believed to be less than 2,000 km2, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. The northern and eastern lowland subspecies of V. ursinii are especially threatened and are considered to be nearly extinct.”
The IUCN Red List includes the Hungarian meadow viper as “Endangered” and the Moldavian meadow viper as “Critically Endangered”.
“This species is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention, and on Annex IV of the European Union Habitat and Species Directive. Populations of this species from Europe are listed on Appendix I of CITES. Its range includes several protected areas. In-country conservation measures, such as maintaining suitable areas of meadow habitat, are underway to conserve some populations (e.g.. Hungary and Romania) (CoE, 2003). Detailed recommendations for conservation action to protect this species can be found in Edgar and Bird (2006).”
The principal cause of decline is loss of habitat caused by changes in agricultural practices, climate change in mountain areas. Human persecution and collection for the pet trade are also very important and may be major threats in areas where at least the habitat is safeguarded.

References:
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Boulenger, G.A., 1913: The Snakes of Europe; 
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Council of Europe. 2003. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Group of experts on the conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles. Mälmo (Sweden), 26-27 September 2003. Report T-PVS (2003) 18;
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Edgar P., Bird D. R., (2005): Action Plan for the Conservation of the Meadow Viper (Vipera ursinii) in Europe. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and   Natural Habitats Standing Committee, 26th meeting, Strasbourg, 27-29 November 2006, T-PVS/Inf (2006) 21, 38 pp;
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