NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gaboon Adder
Bitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
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
The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica), also called the Gaboon adder, is a large and highly venomous species of viper found in the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest member of the genus Bitis. Like all other vipers, it is venomous, and it has the longest fangs of any venomous snake – up to 2 inches (5.1 cm) in length – and the highest venom yield of any snake. No subspecies are recognized.
Wikipedia contributors, Gaboon viper; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:06.107403+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
- Common name
- Gaboon Adder
- 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 gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rhinoceros ViperBitis nasicornis (Shaw & Nodder, 1792) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Echidna gabonica Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 | synonym |
| Bitis gabonica gabonica Mertens, 1951 Mertens, 1951 | synonym |
| Cerastes nasicornis Hallowell, 1847 Hallowell, 1847 | 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=gabonica 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:LXL7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.