NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
African Saw-scaled Viper
Echis ocellatus Stemmler, 1970
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Echis ocellatus, known by the common names West African carpet viper and ocellated carpet viper, is a highly venomous species of viper endemic to West Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.
It is responsible for more human fatalities due to snakebite than all other African species combined. An antivenom called Echitab-plus-ICP is manufactured by the Costa Rican Instituto Clodomiro Picado and another called EchiTabG is manufactured by MicroPharm Ltd in the UK.
Wikipedia contributors, Echis ocellatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:49:11.104493+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Echis ocellatus Stemmler, 1970
- Name authority
- Stemmler, 1970
- Common name
- African 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyViperidae
- subfamilyViperinae
- genusEchis
- speciesEchis ocellatus Stemmler, 1970
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Echis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Echis borkini Cherlin, 1990 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| PhoorsaEchis carinatus (Schneider, 1801) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Burton’s carpet viperEchis coloratus Günther, 1878 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echis khosatzkii Cherlin, 1990 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Roman's Saw-scaled ViperEchis leucogaster Roman, 1972 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echis romani Trape, 2018 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hughes' Saw-scaled ViperEchis hughesi Cherlin, 1990 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Joger's Saw-scaled ViperEchis jogeri Cherlin, 1990 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cherlin's Saw-scaled ViperEchis megalocephalus Cherlin, 1990 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oman saw-scaled viperEchis omanensis Babocsay, 2004 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Egyptian Saw-scaled ViperEchis pyramidum (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Echis&species=ocellatus 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:38LQY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.