Bitis inornata

Bitis inornata (plate IV)

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Viperoidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Superclassis: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Subclassis: Diapsida Cladus: Sauria Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha Superordo: Lepidosauria Ordo: Squamata Cladus: Unidentata, Episquamata Cladus: Toxicofera Subordo: Serpentes Infraordo: Caenophidia Superfamilia: Viperoidea

Familia: Viperidae
Subfamilia: Viperinae
Genus: Bitis
Species: Bitis inornata

Name

• Bitis inornata (Smith, 1838)

Holotype: BMNH 1946.1.18.13 (formerly 1865.5.4.166).

Type locality: “Sneeuwbergen, or Snow-mountains, which are situated immediately behind the village of Graaff Reynet [=Graaff-Reinet]”, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Combinations

• Echidna inornata Smith, 1838: unpaginated; plate IV [original combination]
• Vipera inornata — Strauch, 1869: 97 [name combination]
• Bitis inornata — Boulenger, 1896: 496 [name combination]
• Bitis cornuta inornata — Underwood, 1968: 84 [name combination, reduce to subspecies]
• Bitis inornata — Branch, 1999: 54 [name combination, restaured to species]

References

Primary references

• Smith, A. 1838–1849. Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa; Consisting Chiefly of Figures and Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected During an Expedition Into the Interior of South Africa, in the Years 1834, 1835, and 1836; Fitted Out by “The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa.” Published Under the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury. Reptilia. Vol. 2. Smith, Elder and Co.: London. [100] + 28 pp., pls. 1–78. BHL Reference page. 
• Strauch, A. 1869. Synopsis der Viperiden nebst Bemerkungen über die geographische Verbreitung dieser Giftschlangen-Familie. Mémoires de l'Académie impériale des sciences de St.-Pétersbourg Séries 7, 14(6): 1–144. BHL
• Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum Volume III: containing the Colubridae (Opisthoglyphae and Proteroglyphae), Amblycephalidae, and Viperidae. Taylor & Francis: London. xiv + 727 pp. BHL
• Underwood G. 1968. On the status of some South African vipers. Annals of Cape provincial museums. Natural history 6(9): 81–85. BHL
• Branch, W.R. 1999. Dwarf adders of the Bitis cornuta-inornata complex (Serpentes: Viperidae) in Southern Africa. Kaupia 8: 39–63.

Additional references

• Branch, W.R. 1989. A new adder (Bitis) from the Cedarberg, and the status of Bitis inornata (A. Smith, 1849): Preliminary observations. In Branch, W.R. (ed.) The First HAA Conference. Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa 36: 64–67. DOI: 10.1080/04416651.1989.9650225

Links

• Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2024. Bitis inornata. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 12 September 2017.
• Turner, A.A. 2017. IUCN: Bitis inornata  (Vulnerable). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T2817A110343404. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T2817A110343404.en

Vernacular names

English: Plain Mountain Adder, Hornless Adder