NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sako’s Viper
Vipera sakoi (Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018)
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 sakoi, also known as Sako's viper, is a possible species of viper found in Turkey. These names are in honour of the son, friend and colleague of Tuniyev et al., Sako Tuniyev, who studied shield-headed snakes and died three years prior to the official description of the snake. The status of V. sakoi is uncertain as, while it is 4–5% genetically distinct from Vipera darevskii, their isolation from each other is uncertain. It is possible V. sakoi is a part of V. darevskii.
Wikipedia contributors, Vipera sakoi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:30.021874+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Vipera sakoi (Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018)
- Name authority
- (Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018)
- Common name
- Sako’s 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 sakoi (Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nose-horned ViperVipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Pelias sakoi Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018 Tuniyev, Avci, Ilgaz, Olgun, Petrova, Bodrov, Geniez & Teynié, 2018 | 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=sakoi 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:8H6FB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.