Bitis
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2008-06-25T04:12:44Z
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{{Taxobox
| name = ''Bitis''
| image = Bitis-arietans-4.jpg
| image_caption = Puff adder, ''[[Bitis arietans|B. arietans]]''.
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| subphylum = [[Vertebrate|Vertebrata]]
| classis = [[Reptilia]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| subordo = [[Snake|Serpentes]]
| familia = [[Viperidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Viperinae]]
| genus = '''''Bitis'''''
| genus_authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842
| synonyms = * ''Cobra'' - Laurenti, 1768
* ''Echidna'' - Merrem, 1820
* ''Clotho'' - Gray, 1842
* ''Bitis'' - Gray, 1842
* ''Echidne'' - Duméril & Bibron, 1844
* ''Hallowellius'' - Reus, 1939
* ''Macrocerastes'' - Reus, 1939<ref name="McD99">McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).</ref>
}}
:'''''Common names''': puff adders, African adders,<ref name="Mal03">Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2.</ref> African vipers.<ref name="SB95">Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.</ref>''
'''''Bitis''''' is a [[genus]] of [[venomous snake|venomous]] [[Viperinae|viper]]s found in [[Africa]] and the southern [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref name="McD99"/> It includes the largest and the smallest vipers in the world. Members are known for their characteristic threat displays that involves inflating and deflating their bodies while hissing and puffing loudly.<ref name="Mal03"/> The [[type species]] for this genus is ''[[Bitis arietans|B. arietans]]'',<ref name="McD99"/> which is also the most widely distributed viper in Africa.<ref name="SB95"/> Currently, 14 [[species]] are recognized.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|ID=634420|taxon=''Bitis''|year=2006|date=18 July}}</ref>
==Description==
Size variation within this genus is extreme, ranging from the very small ''[[Bitis schneideri|B. schneideri]]'', which grows to a maximum of 28 cm and is perhaps the world's smallest [[Viperidae|viperid]], to the very large ''[[Bitis gabonica|B. gabonica]]'', which can attain a length of over 2 m and is the heaviest viper in the world.<ref name="Mal03"/>
All have a wide, triangular head with a rounded snout, distinct from the neck, and covered in small, keeled, imbricate scales. The [[Canthus (snake)|canthus]] is also distinct. A number of species have enlarged [[rostral scale|rostral]] or [[orbit (anatomy)|supraorbital]] scales that look like horns. The eyes are relatively small. They have large nostrils that are directed outwards and/or upwards. 0-6 rows of small scales separate the rostral and [[nasal scales]]. All species have a well-developed supranasal sac. The front of the maxillary bones are very short, supporting only one pair of recurved fangs.<ref name="USN65">U.S. Navy. 1965. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. Printing Office, Washington D.C. 212 pp.</ref><ref name="Mal03"/>
These snakes are moderately to extremely stout. The body is covered with [[Keeled scales|keeled]] scales that are imbricate with apical pits. At midbody, the [[dorsal scales]] number 21-46. Laterally, the dorsal scales may be slightly oblique. The [[ventral scales]], which number 112-153, are large, rounded and sometimes have slight lateral keels. The tail is short. [[Anal scale]] single. The paired [[subcaudal scales]] number 16-37 and are sometimes keeled laterally.<ref name="USN65"/><ref name="Mal03"/>
==Geographic range==
[[Africa]] and the southern [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref name="McD99"/>
==Behavior==
''Bitis'' species are known for their behavior of inflating and deflating their bodies in loud hissing or puffing threat displays. They are [[terrestrial animal|terrestrial]] ambush predators and appear sluggish, but can strike with amazing speed.<ref name="Mal03"/> In contrast to the pitvipers of the subfamily [[Crotalinae]], ''Bitis'' species appear to lack heat-sensitive organs and showed no differences in their behavior in laboratory tests towards warm and cool objects that mimicked prey.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Safer AB, Grace MS |title=Infrared imaging in vipers: differential responses of crotaline and viperine snakes to paired thermal targets |journal=Behav. Brain Res. |volume=154 |issue=1 |pages=55–61 |year=2004 |pmid=15302110}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Krochmal AR, Bakken GS, LaDuc TJ |title=Heat in evolution's kitchen: evolutionary perspectives on the functions and origin of the facial pit of pitvipers (Viperidae: Crotalinae) |journal=J. Exp. Biol. |volume=207 |issue=Pt 24 |pages=4231–8 |year=2004 |pmid=15531644 |url=http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=15531644 |doi=10.1242/jeb.01278}}</ref>
==Reproduction==
All members are [[viviparous]] and some give birth to large numbers of offspring.<ref name="Mal03"/>
==Venom==
All members of this genus are dangerous — some extremely so.<ref name="Mal03"/> At least six different polyvalent antivenoms are available. Five are produced by Aventis Pasteur (France), Pasteur Merieux (France) and SAIMR (South Africa). All of these specifically protect against ''[[Bitis arietans|B. arietans]]'' and four also cover ''[[Bitis gabonica|B. gabonica]]''.<ref name="MavinBA">[http://www.toxinfo.org/antivenoms/indication/BITIS_ARIETANS.html ''Bitis arietans'' antivenoms] at [http://www.toxinfo.org/antivenoms/ Munich AntiVenom INdex]. Accessed 25 August, 2006.</ref><ref name="MavinBG">[http://www.toxinfo.org/antivenoms/indication/BITIS_GABONICA.html ''Bitis gabonica'' antivenoms] at [http://www.toxinfo.org/antivenoms/ Munich AntiVenom INdex]. Accessed 25 August, 2006.</ref> At least one protects specifically against bites from ''[[Bitis nasicornis|B. nasicornis]]'': India Antiserum Africa Polyvalent.<ref name="VR">[http://www.venomousreptiles.org/pages/antbnk Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit] at [http://www.venomousreptiles.org/ VenomousReptiles.org]. Accessed 5 September 2006.</ref> In the past, such antivenoms have been used to treat bites from other ''Bitis'' species, but with mixed results.<ref name="Mal03"/>
==Species==
{| cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;"
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Species<ref name="McD99"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Authority<ref name="McD99"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Subsp.*<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Common name
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Geographic range<ref name="McD99"/>
|-
|''[[Bitis arietans|B. arietans]]''<font size="-1"><sup>T</sup></font>
|style="width:13%"|([[Blasius Merrem|Merrem]], 1820)
|align="center"|1
|Puff adder
|style="width:50%"|Most of [[sub-Saharan Africa]] south to the [[Cape of Good Hope]], including southern [[Morocco]], [[Mauritania]], [[Senegal]], [[Mali]], southern [[Algeria]], [[Guinea]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Ghana]], [[Togo]], [[Benin]], [[Niger]], [[Nigeria]], [[Chad]], [[Sudan]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], northern, eastern and southern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Uganda]], [[Kenya]], [[Somalia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]], [[Tanzania]], [[Angola]], [[Zambia]], [[Malawi]], [[Mozambique]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Botswana]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]]. Also occurs on the [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian peninsula]], where it is found in southwestern [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[Yemen]].
|-
|''[[Bitis atropos|B. atropos]]''
|([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
|align="center"|0
|Berg adder
|Isolated populations in the mountainous areas of [[southern Africa]]: the Inyanga Highlands and [[Chimanimani, Zimbabwe|Chimanimani Mountains]] of eastern Zimbabwe and nearby Mozambique, in South Africa along the [[Drakensberg|Drakensberg Escarpments]] in the provinces of Transvaal, western [[Natal Province|Natal]], [[Lesotho]] and eastern [[Free State]], and in the southern coastal mountains of western and eastern [[Cape Province]].
|-
|''[[Bitis caudalis|B. caudalis]]''
|([[Andrew Smith (zoologist)|Smith]], 1839)
|align="center"|0
|Horned adder
|The arid region of south-west Africa: south-west Angola, Namibia, across the [[Kalahari Desert]] of southern Botswana, into northern [[Transvaal]] and southwestern Zimbabwe. In South Africa it is found from the northern Cape Province south to the [[Great Karoo]].
|-
|''[[Bitis cornuta|B. cornuta]]''
|([[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1803)
|align="center"|1
|Many-horned adder
|The coastal region of south-west Namibia through west and south-west Cape Province in South Africa. There are also a few isolated populations in eastern Cape Province.
|-
|''[[Bitis gabonica|B. gabonica]]''
|([[André Marie Constant Duméril|Duméril]], [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]] & [[Auguste Duméril|Duméril]], 1854)
|align="center"|1
|Gaboon viper
|Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Central African Republic, southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, eastern Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique, northeast [[KwaZulu-Natal|KwaZulu-Natal Province]] in South Africa.
|-
|''[[Bitis heraldica|B. heraldica]]''
|([[José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage|Bocage]], 1889)
|align="center"|0
|Angolan adder
|The high plateau of central Angola.
|-
|''[[Bitis inornata|B. inornata]]''
|(Smith, 1838)
|align="center"|0
|Plain mountain adder
|Isolated population on the Sneeuberg, eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
|-
|''[[Bitis nasicornis|B. nasicornis]]''
|([[George Shaw|Shaw]], 1792)
|align="center"|0
|Rhinoceros viper
|From Guinea to Ghana in [[West Africa]], and in [[Central Africa]] in the Central African Republic, southern Sudan, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda and western Kenya.
|-
|''[[Bitis parviocula|B. parviocula]]''
|[[W. Böhme|Böhme]], 1977
|align="center"|0
|Ethiopian mountain adder
|Known from only three localities in the highlands to south-west [[Ethiopia]], at altitudes of 2000-3000 m.
|-
|''[[Bitis peringueyi|B. peringueyi]]''
|([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1888)
|align="center"|0
|Peringuey's desert adder
|The [[Namib Desert]] from southern Angola to Lüderitz, Namibia.
|-
|''[[Bitis rubida|B. rubida]]''
|[[W.R. Branch|Branch]], 1997
|align="center"|0
|Red adder
|Several isolated populations in the northern Cape Fold Mountains and inland escarpment in [[Western Cape Province]], South Africa.
|-
|''[[Bitis schneideri|B. schneideri]]''
|(Boettger, 1886)
|align="center"|0
|Namaqua dwarf adder
|White coastal sand dunes from Namibia, near [[Lüderitz]], south to Hondeklip Bay, [[Namaqualand|Little Namaqualand]], South Africa.
|-
|''[[Bitis worthingtoni|B. worthingtoni]]''
|[[H.W. Parker|Parker]], 1932
|align="center"|0
|Kenyan horned viper
|Restricted to Kenya's high central Rift Valley at altitudes over 1500 m.
|-
|''[[Bitis xeropaga|B. xeropaga]]''
|[[W.D. Haacke|Haacke]], 1975
|align="center"|0
|Desert mountain adder
|North-western Cape Province in South Africa and the arid mountains of the lower Orange River basin, north into to southern Namibia and [[Namaqualand|Great Namaqualand]] as far as Aus.
|-
|}
''*) Not including the nominate subspecies (typical form).''<br>
<font size="-1"><sup>T</sup></font>'') [[Type species]].
==Taxonomy==
Other species may be encountered in literature, such as:<ref name="Mal03"/>
* ''B. albanica'' - Hewitt, 1937
* ''B. armata'' - Smith, 1826
Lenk et al. (1999) used molecular data (immunological distances and mitochondrial DNA sequences) to estimate the phylogenetic relationships among species of ''Bitis''. They identified four major monophyletic groups for which they created four [[Subgenus|subgenera]]:<ref name="Mal03"/>
* ''Bitis'' - ''[[Bitis arietans|B. arietans]]''
* ''Calechidna'' - ''B. albanica'', ''B. armata'', ''[[Bitis atropos|B. atropos]]'', ''[[Bitis caudalis|B. caudalis]]'', ''[[Bitis cornuta|B. cornuta]]'', ''[[Bitis heraldica|B. heraldica]]'', ''[[Bitis inornata|B. inorata]]'', ''[[Bitis peringueyi|B. peringueyi]]'', ''[[Bitis rubida|B. rubida]]'', ''[[Bitis schneideri|B. schneideri]]'', ''[[Bitis xeropaga|B. xeropaga]]''
* ''Macrocerastes'' - ''[[Bitis gabonica|B. gabonica]]'', ''[[Bitis nasicornis|B. nasicornis]]'', ''[[Bitis parviocula|B. parviocula]]''
* ''Keniabitis'' - ''[[Bitis worthingtoni|B. worthingtoni]]''
For now, this division is of little consequence as far as the nomenclature is concerned. However, the definition of subgenera within a genus is often the sign of an impending split. Therefore, anyone interested in these snakes would do well to familiarize themselves with these new subgenera.<ref name="Mal03"/>
==See also==
* [[List of viperine species and subspecies]]
* {{c|Viperinae by common name}}
* {{c|Viperinae by taxonomic synonyms}}
* [[Snakebite]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
<div class="references-small">
* Branch WR. 1999. Dwarf adders of the Bitis cornuta-inornata complex (Serptentes: Viperidae) in Southern Africa. Kaupia (Darmstadt) (8): 39-63.
* Lenk, P., H.-W. Herrmann, U. Joger, & M. Wink (1999) Phylogeny and taxonomic subdivision of ''Bitis'' (Reptilia: Viperidae) based on molecular evidence. Kaupia, 8: 31-38.
* U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. New York: Dover Books. (Reprint of US Govt. Printing Office, Washington D.C.) 232 pp. ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
</div>
==External links==
{{Commons|Bitis}}
* {{NRDB genus|genus=Bitis|date=2 August|year=2007}}
* [http://www.globalherp.com/id91.htm ''Bitis'' images] at [http://www.globalherp.com/ GLOBALHERP.com]. Accessed [[6 June]] [[2007]].
* [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/reptiles/Bitis_armata/ Southern adder (''Bitis armata'')] at [http://www.arkive.org/ ARKive]. Accessed [[5 October]] [[2006]].
[[Category:Viperinae]]
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