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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Cherlin's Saw-scaled Viper

Echis megalocephalus Cherlin, 1990

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

geographic distribution of Echis megalocephalus (Native: Eritrea)

geographic distribution of Echis megalocephalus (Native: Eritrea)

compiled by rbrausse with Quantum GIS Map data: Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Range data: Joger, U. 2010. Echis megalocephalus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 January 2013. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

Echis megalocephalus, also known commonly as the big-headed carpet viper and Cherlin's saw-scaled viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to one island in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

Wikipedia contributors, Echis megalocephalus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:36:29.671993+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Echis megalocephalus Cherlin, 1990
Name authority
Cherlin, 1990
Common name
Cherlin's Saw-scaled Viper
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Viperidae
Genus
Echis
Extinction status
Not supplied by this source

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
  9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
  10. suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
  11. infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
  12. familyViperidae
  13. subfamilyViperinae
  14. genusEchis
  15. speciesEchis megalocephalus Cherlin, 1990

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Echis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Echis borkini Cherlin, 1990ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
PhoorsaEchis carinatus (Schneider, 1801)ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Burton’s carpet viperEchis coloratus Günther, 1878ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Echis khosatzkii Cherlin, 1990ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
African Saw-scaled ViperEchis ocellatus Stemmler, 1970ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Roman's Saw-scaled ViperEchis leucogaster Roman, 1972ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Echis romani Trape, 2018ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Hughes' Saw-scaled ViperEchis hughesi Cherlin, 1990ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Joger's Saw-scaled ViperEchis jogeri Cherlin, 1990ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Oman saw-scaled viperEchis omanensis Babocsay, 2004ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Egyptian Saw-scaled ViperEchis pyramidum (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827)ViperidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 244 records assigned to Viperidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Eritrea (Dahhlah); Indian Ocean Islands

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Echis&species=megalocephalus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:38LQV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.