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    Spider-Tailed Horned Viper

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    PaoNu
    The spider-tailed horned viper is a venomous snake found in western Iran with a unique tail that resembles a spider used to lure birds. It has elongated scales on its tail and a bulb-like tip. Little is known about its conservation status due to its limited range and small population.

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    Spider-Tailed Horned Viper

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    PaoNu
    68 views3 pages
    The spider-tailed horned viper is a venomous snake found in western Iran with a unique tail that resembles a spider used to lure birds. It has elongated scales on its tail and a bulb-like tip. Little is known about its conservation status due to its limited range and small population.

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    Spider-tailed_horned_viper

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    The spider-tailed horned viper is a venomous snake found in western Iran with a unique tail that resembles a spider used to lure birds. It has elongated scales on its tail and a bulb-like tip. Little is known about its conservation status due to its limited range and small population.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    68 views3 pages

    Spider-Tailed Horned Viper

    Uploaded by

    PaoNu
    The spider-tailed horned viper is a venomous snake found in western Iran with a unique tail that resembles a spider used to lure birds. It has elongated scales on its tail and a bulb-like tip. Little is known about its conservation status due to its limited range and small population.

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    Spider-tailed horned viper

    The spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides)


    is a species of viper, a venomous snake in the family Viperidae. Spider-tailed horned viper
    The species is endemic to western Iran, and was originally
    described in 2006. The head looks very similar to that of other
    Pseudocerastes species in the region, but the spider-tailed horned
    viper has a unique tail that has a bulb-like end that is bordered by
    long drooping scales that give it the appearance of a spider. The
    tail tip is waved around and used to lure insectivorous birds to
    within striking range.[2]

    Close-up of P. urarachnoides showing


    Contents spider-like tail tip

    Description Conservation status


    Etymology
    References
    External links Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1]
    Scientific classification
    Description Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Like other vipers in the genus Pseudocerastes, the scales above
    the eyes rise up to give P. urarachnoides a horned appearance. A Class: Reptilia
    specimen had been collected in 1968 as part of the Second Street
    Expedition to Iran and deposited in the Field Museum of Natural Order: Squamata
    History at Chicago, identified as Pseudocerastes persicus. It was, Suborder: Serpentes
    however, found to be distinct, and it was described as a new
    species in 2006. The species is distinguished by a number of Family: Viperidae
    characteristics. There are about 16 to 17 scales between the horns, Genus: Pseudocerastes
    and the scales on the body above are rougher than on other species
    in the genus. There are 15 pairs of subcaudal scales, and the scales Species: P. urarachnoides
    on the sides of the tail are elongated and appear like appendages of Binomial name
    an arthropod. The tip of the tail is inflated into a bulb-like shape.[3]
    Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
    The tail resembles a spider or other arachnid, and the authors who Bostanchi, S. Anderson, Kami &
    described the species speculated that it was used as a lure to attract Papenfuss, 2006
    birds, as a digested lark had been found in the stomach of the
    paratype specimen. The tip of the tail is used as a lure in several
    species of snake, including Bitis caudalis, Crotalus cerastes,
    Sistrurus catenatus, Agkistrodon contortrix, Acanthophis
    antarcticus, Acanthophis praelongus, and Morelia viridis, but
    none of these examples has the unique elongated scales that give it
    the appearance of arthropod appendages.[2][4] The actual use of the
    tail to lure birds (an example of caudal luring) was confirmed by
    later studies in the field.[5] Footage of the spider-tailed horned
    viper using its tail to lure a migrating bird featured in the Asia
    episode of the BBC series Seven Worlds, One Planet narrated by
    David Attenborough.

    This species overlaps in distribution with P. fieldi in Gilan-e


    Gharb, next to Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah, and with P. persicus in
    Bina and Bijar, Ilam Province.[3] Molecular studies based on
    cytochrome b show it to be closer to Pseudocerastes persicus than
    to P. fieldi.[6]

    Etymology
    The specific name, urarachnoides, is derived from Ancient Greek (οὐρά tail + ἀράχνη spider + οειδής like),
    and refers to this snake's spider-like tail tip, as does the common name, spider-tailed horned viper.[2]

    References
    1. Anderson, Steven C.; Papenfuss, Theodore (2009). "Pseudocerastes urarachnoides " (https://
    www.iucnredlist.org/species/164664/5916336). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009:
    e.T164664A5916336. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T164664A5916336.en (https://doi.org/
    10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T164664A5916336.en).
    2. Bostanchi, Hamid; Anderson, Steven C.; Kami, Haji Gholi; Papenfuss, Theodore J. (2006). "A
    New Species of Pseudocerastes with Elaborate Tail Ornamentation from Western Iran
    (Squamata: Viperidae)" (http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/scipubs/pdfs/v57/proc
    cas_v57_n14.pdf) (PDF). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. Fourth Series.
    57 (14): 443–450. (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides, new species).
    3. Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah (2010). "On the species of Pseudocerastes
    (Ophidia: Viperidae) in Iran". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 17 (4): 275–279.
    4. Fathinia, Behzad; Anderson, Steven C.; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Jahani, Hasan;
    Mohamadi, Hosien (2009). "Notes on the natural history of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
    (Squamata: Viperidae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 16 (2): 134–138.
    5. Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar; Todehdehghan,
    Fatemeh; Amiri, Fathollah (2015). "Avian deception using an elaborate caudal lure in
    Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (Serpentes: Viperidae)". Amphibia-Reptilia. 36 (3): 223–231.
    doi:10.1163/15685381-00002997 (https://doi.org/10.1163%2F15685381-00002997).
    6. Fathinia, Behzad; Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah; Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar; Toodeh-
    Dehghan, Fatemeh; Rajabizadeh, Mehdi (2014). "Molecular systematics of the genus
    Pseudocerastes (Ophidia: Viperidae) based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene" (https://d
    oi.org/10.3906/zoo-1308-25). Turkish Journal of Zoology. 38: 575–581. doi:10.3906/zoo-1308-
    25 (https://doi.org/10.3906%2Fzoo-1308-25).

    External links
    Footage of the spider-tailed horned viper using its tail to lure a migrating bird featured in the
    Asia episode of the BBC series Seven Worlds, One Planet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
    =7DErwvIjaAE)

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spider-tailed_horned_viper&oldid=965508993"


    This page was last edited on 1 July 2020, at 18:58 (UTC).

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