Daboia
Genus of snakes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daboia is a genus of vipers.[2]
| Daboia | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Subfamily: | Viperinae |
| Genus: | Daboia Gray, 1842 |
| Type species | |
| Daboia russelii Shaw & Nodder, 1797 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Species
The following four species are recognized as being valid:[2]
- Daboia mauritanica (Duméril & Bibron, 1848) – Moorish viper
- Daboia palaestinae (F. Werner, 1938) – Palestine viper
- Daboia russelii (Shaw & Nodder, 1797) – Russell's viper
- Daboia siamensis (M.A. Smith, 1917) – eastern Russell's viper
In the future, more species may be added to Daboia. Obst (1983) reviewed the genus and suggested that it be extended to include Macrovipera lebetina, Daboia palaestinae, and M. xanthina. Groombridge (1980, 1986) united V. palaestinae and Daboia as a clade based on a number of shared apomorphies, including snout shape and head color pattern. Lenk et al. (2001)[3] found support for this idea based on molecular evidence, suggesting that Daboia not only include V. palaestinae, but also D. mauritanica and M. deserti.[4]