NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Katanga Mountain Bush Viper
Atheris katangensis de Witte, 1953
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 katangensis, also known as the Katanga Mountain bush viper and other common names, is a species of venomous viper found in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Zambia. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Wikipedia contributors, Atheris katangensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:45:56.011465+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Atheris katangensis de Witte, 1953
- Name authority
- de Witte, 1953
- Common name
- Katanga Mountain 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 katangensis de Witte, 1953
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 |
| Mt Kenya Bush ViperAtheris desaixi Ashe, 1968 | 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 |
| 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=katangensis 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:5W8YY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.