NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rhinoceros Viper
Bitis nasicornis (Shaw & Nodder, 1792)
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
Bitis nasicornis is a viper species belonging to the genus Bitis, part of a subfamily known as "puff-adders", found in the forests of West and Central Africa. This large viper is known for its striking coloration and prominent nasal "horns". No subspecies are currently recognized. Its common names include butterfly viper, rhinoceros viper, river jack and many more (see section: common names). Like all other vipers, it is venomous.
Wikipedia contributors, Bitis nasicornis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:57:43.048233+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bitis nasicornis (Shaw & Nodder, 1792)
- Name authority
- (Shaw & Nodder, 1792)
- Common name
- Rhinoceros Viper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Bitis
- 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
- genusBitis
- speciesBitis nasicornis (Shaw & Nodder, 1792)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bitis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bale Mountains adderBitis harenna Gower, Wade, Spawls, Böhme, Buechley, Sykes & Colston, 2016 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mountain AdderBitis atropos (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gaboon AdderBitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Angolan adder; Bocage's Horned Adder (after FRANK & RAMUS 1995).Bitis heraldica (Bocage, 1889) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bale Mountains adderBitis parviocula Böhme, 1977 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kenya Horned ViperBitis worthingtoni Parker, 1932 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Desert Mountain AdderBitis xeropaga Haacke, 1975 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hornless AdderBitis inornata (Smith, 1838) | 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 nasicornis Shaw & Nodder, 1792 Shaw & Nodder, 1792 | synonym |
| Vipera hexacera Duméril & Bibron, 1854 Duméril & Bibron, 1854 | synonym |
| Coluber nasicornis Shaw, 1802 Shaw, 1802 | 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=Bitis&species=nasicornis 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:68KF6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.