NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Nose-horned Viper
Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758)
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
Vipera ammodytes, commonly known as horned viper, long-nosed viper, nose-horned viper, and sand viper, is a species of viper found in northern Italy, the Balkans, and parts of Asia Minor. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs (up to 13 mm) and high venom toxicity. The specific name, ammodytes, is derived from the Greek words ammos, meaning "sand", and dutes, meaning "burrower" or "diver", despite its preference for rocky habitats. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Wikipedia contributors, Vipera ammodytes; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:37:53.739263+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Nose-horned Viper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Vipera
- 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
- genusVipera
- speciesVipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Vipera. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Anatolian Meadow ViperVipera anatolica Eiselt & Baran, 1970 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Asp ViperVipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caucasus ViperVipera kaznakovi Nikolsky, 1909 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lataste’s ViperVipera latastei Bosca, 1878 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mountain ViperVipera monticola Saint Girons, 1953 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Darevsky's ViperVipera darevskii Vedmederja, Orlov & Tuniyev, 1986 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Vipera orlovi Tuniyev & Ostrovskikh, 2001 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Greek Meadow ViperVipera graeca Nilson & Andrén, 1988 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sako’s ViperVipera sakoi (Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern sand viperVipera meridionalis Boulenger, 1903 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Vipera altaica Tuniyev, Nilson & Andrén, 2010 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| AdderVipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Coluber ammodytes Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | ambiguous synonym |
| Vipera illyrica Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Vipera illyrica var. pallido-caerulescens Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Vipera ammodytes gregorwallneri Sochurek, 1974 Sochurek, 1974 | synonym |
| Vipera ammodytes ruffoi Bruno, 1968 Bruno, 1968 | synonym |
| Vipera ammodytes montandoni Boulenger, 1904 Boulenger, 1904 | synonym |
| Vipera ammodytes var. montandoni Boulenger, 1904 Boulenger, 1904 | synonym |
| Vipera aspis balcanica Buresch & Zonkov, 1934 Buresch & Zonkov, 1934 | synonym |
| Vipera illyrica var. fusca Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
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=Vipera&species=ammodytes 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:5BJ7N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.