NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mt Kenya Bush Viper
Atheris desaixi Ashe, 1968
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
Atheris desaixi, commonly known as the Mount Kenya bush viper, Ashe's bush viper, or Desaix's bush viper, is a venomous species of viper endemic to Kenya, where only two isolated populations are known. It is known for its striking black and yellow coloration. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Wikipedia contributors, Atheris desaixi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:26:56.922086+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Atheris desaixi Ashe, 1968
- Name authority
- Ashe, 1968
- Common name
- Mt Kenya Bush Viper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Atheris
- 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
- genusAtheris
- speciesAtheris desaixi Ashe, 1968
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Atheris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mayombe Bush-ViperAtheris anisolepis Mocquard, 1887 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Uzungwe Mountain Bush ViperAtheris barbouri Loveridge, 1930 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Matilda's Horned ViperAtheris matildae Menegon, Davenport & Howell, 2011 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Katanga Mountain Bush ViperAtheris katangensis de Witte, 1953 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bristly Tree ViperAtheris hirsuta Ernst & Rödel, 2002 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green bush viperAtheris chlorechis (Pel, 1852) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| African Hairy Bush ViperAtheris hispida Laurent, 1955 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mount Mabu bush viperAtheris mabuensis Branch & Bayliss, 2009 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| African Bush ViperAtheris squamigera Hallowell, 1854 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Broadley’s bush viperAtheris broadleyi Lawson, 1999 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Great Lakes Bush ViperAtheris nitschei Tornier, 1902 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atheris subocularis Fischer, 1888 | 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=Atheris&species=desaixi 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:5VWYZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.