European asp

Vipera aspis
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Vipera
Species:	V. aspis
Binomial name
Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
[Coluber] aspis Linnaeus, 1758 Vipera Francisci Redi Laurenti, 1768 Vipera Mosis Charas Laurenti, 1768 Vipera vulgaris Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 Vipera ocellata Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 Coluber Charasii — Shaw, 1802 [Vipera (Echidna)] Aspis — Merrem, 1820 C[hersea]. vulgaris — Fleming, 1822 Vipera aspis — Metaxa, 1823 Aspis ocellata — Fitzinger, 1826 [Pelias] Col[uber]. aspis — F. Boie, 1827 Berus Vulgaris — Gray, 1831 Vipera aspis var. ocellata — Bonaparte, 1834 Vipera aspis var. ocellata — Massalongo, 1853 V[ipera]. (Vipera) aspis — Jan, 1863 Vipera berus subspec. aspis — Camerano, 1888 Vipera aspis — Boulenger, 1896 Vipera aspis var. lineata Düringen, 1897 [Vipera aspis] var. Delalande Phisalix, 1902 Vipera aspis aspis — Mertens, 1925 Mesovipera aspis — , 1927 Mesovipera maculata A.F.T. Reuss, 1930 (nomen nudum) Mesovipera maculata aspis — A.F.T. Reuss, 1930 (nomen nudum) Vipera ammodytes aspis — Schwarz, 1936 Vipera aspis delalande — , 1968 Vipera (Rhinaspis) aspis aspis — Obst, 1983 Vipera aspis — Golay et al., 1993

Vipera aspis is a venomous viper species found in southwestern Europe. Its common names include asp, asp viper,European asp, and aspic viper,among others. Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, V. berus; not only can they be very painful, but also about 4% of all untreated bites are fatal. The specific epithet, aspis, is a Greek word that means "viper." Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

The species grows to an average total length of 60–65 centimetres (24–26 in). Males reach a maximum total length of 85 cm (33 in), females rarely more than 75 cm (30 in). Males, however, are a little slimmer than females. The tail is very short: one-seventh to one-ninth of total body length in females, and one-sixth to one-eighth in males.

The head is broad, triangular and quite distinct from the neck. The tip of the snout is slightly but distinctly upturned. The rostral scale is generally higher than it is wide, touching 2 to 3 scales on the upper side of the snout. Dorsally, the snout is flat with distinct and slightly raised sharp margins. The nasal scale is single (hardly ever divided) and separated from the rostral by a single nasorostral scale. The crown is covered with numerous small and irregular scales of different sizes that are mostly smooth, but sometimes slightly keeled. Frontal and parietal scales are usually not present, but if so, they are small and irregularly shaped, with the frontal separated from the supraoculars by 2 scale rows. The supraocular scales are large and distinct, separated by 4–7 scale rows. There are 10–12 (rarely 8–18) small circumorbital scales below the supraocular. The eye is separated from the supralabials by 2 (rarely 3) scale rows. The vertical diameter of the eye is about the same as the distance between the eye and the mouth. There are 9–13 supralabials. The 4th–5th supralabials (rarely 4th–6th or 5th–6th) are separated from the eye by 2 (rarely 3) rows of small scales, but sometimes there is a single scale between the 4th supralabial and the eye. Generally, the temporal scales are smooth, but sometimes slightly keeled.

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