# Atractaspis

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Genus of snakes

Atractaspis Atractaspis engaddensis Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Atractaspididae Subfamily: Atractaspidinae Genus: Atractaspis A. Smith, 1849

***Atractaspis*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [venomous snakes](/source/Venomous_snake) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Atractaspidae](/source/Atractaspididae), also known as the stiletto snakes. The genus is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to [Africa](/source/Africa) and the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East). The genus contains 15 [species](/source/Species) that are recognized by ITIS.[1] Others recognize as many as 21 [species](/source/Species).[2][3][4] 23 are listed here.

## Common names

[Common names](/source/Common_names) for snakes of the genus *Atractaspis* include burrowing vipers, burrowing asps, mole vipers, stiletto snakes, side-stabbing snakes, side-stabbers. "Side stabbing" refers to the snakes' uncommon ability to strike with the side of its head and inject venom with one protruding fang.[5]

## Geographic range

Species of the genus *Atractaspis* are found mostly in [Sub-Saharan Africa](/source/Sub-Saharan_Africa), with a limited distribution in the [Jordan valley](/source/Jordan_Valley_(Middle_East)) in [Israel](/source/Israel), [Palestine](/source/Palestine) and the [Arabian Peninsula](/source/Arabian_Peninsula).[5]

## Description

Members of the genus *Atractaspis* share the following characteristics: Venom fangs enormously developed; a few teeth on the [palatines](/source/Palatine_bone), none on the [pterygoids](/source/Pterygoid_bone); [mandibles](/source/Mandible) [edentulous](/source/Edentulism) anteriorly, with 2 or 3 very small teeth in the middle of the [dentary bone](/source/Dentary_bone). Postfrontal bone absent. Head small, not distinct from neck, covered with large symmetrical shields; nostril between 2 nasals; no loreal; eye minute, with round pupil. Body cylindrical; dorsal scales smooth, without apical pits, in 17 to 37 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail short; subcaudals either single or in two rows.[6]

## Species

Species[1][3] Taxon author*[1][3] Subspecies**[1] Common name[5] Geographic range[3][5] A. andersonii Boulenger, 1905 Oman, Yemen A. aterrima Günther, 1863 ———— slender burrowing asp Africa: from Senegal and the Gambia east to DR Congo and Uganda. A. battersbyi de Witte, 1959 Battersby's burrowing asp Africa: Bolobo, on the Congo River basin, DR Congo. A. bibronii A. Smith, 1849 bibronii rostrata Bibron's burrowing asp Southern Africa, from central Namibia, east to northern South Africa, north to south-eastern DR Congo, eastern Tanzania, coastal Kenya, and extreme southern coastal Somalia. A. boulengeri Mocquard, 1897 matschiensis mixta schmidti schultzei vanderborghti Central African burrowing asp Africa: the forests of the western Congo River basin. A. branchi Rödel et al., 2019 Branch's stiletto snake Africa: from Liberia to Guinea A. congica W. Peters, 1877 leleupi orientalis Congo burrowing asp Africa: from the mouth of the Congo River south to Angola, south-eastern DR Congo and northern Zambia. A. corpulenta (Hallowell, 1854) kivuensis leucura fat burrowing asp Africa: from Liberia to Ghana and from Nigeria eastwards to north-eastern DR Congo. A. dahomeyensis Bocage, 1887 ———— Dahomey burrowing asp Africa: from southwestern Cameroon, north and west through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, north-western Ivory Coast, south-western Burkina Faso and south-central Mali. A. duerdeni Gough, 1907 Duerden's burrowing asp Africa in two isolated populations: one in north-central Namibia and one in south-eastern Botswana and northern South Africa. A. engaddensis Haas, 1950 En-Gedi asp, alasawad alkhabith Asia: Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon A. engdahli Lönnberg & Andersson, 1913 ———— Engdahl's burrowing asp Africa: southern Somalia and the lower Juba Valley northwest into northeastern Kenya. A. fallax W. Peters, 1867 Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia A. irregularis (J.T. Reinhardt, 1843) angeli bipostocularis conradsi parkeri uelensis variable burrowing asp Africa: from Liberia to Ghana, from Nigeria east to Uganda, southern Sudan, and western and central Kenya, and south to north-eastern Tanzania, DR Congo and north-western Angola. A. leucomelas Boulenger, 1895 ———— Ogaden burrowing asp Africa: eastern Ethiopia, northwestern Somalia and Djibouti. A. magrettii Scortecci, 1928 western Eritrea, northwestern Ethiopia, south-eastern Sudan A. microlepidota Günther, 1866 small-scaled burrowing asp Africa: Senegal, Gambia, southern Mauritania, and western Mali A. micropholis Günther, 1872 Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria A. phillipsi Barbour, 1913 south-eastern Sudan A. reticulata Sjöstedt, 1896 brieni heterochilus reticulate burrowing asp Central Africa: from southern Cameroon, east to eastern DR Congo and south to Angola. A. scorteccii Parker, 1949 ———— Somali burrowing asp Africa: eastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia. A. watsoni Boulenger, 1908 Watson's burrowing asp Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal

**) A taxon author in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than*Atractaspis*.* ***) Not including the [nominate subspecies](/source/Nominotypical_subspecies).*

## See also

- [Snakebite](/source/Snakebite)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ITIS_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ITIS_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ITIS_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ITIS_1-3) ["*Atractaspis*"](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=209551). [Integrated Taxonomic Information System](/source/Integrated_Taxonomic_Information_System). Retrieved 29 August 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "*Atractaspis* ". *Dahms Tierleben*. www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Serpentes/colubroidea/lamprophiidae/Atractaspidinae.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RDB_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RDB_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-RDB_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-RDB_3-3) Genus *[Atractaspis](https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?genus=Atractaspis&exact=genus&submit=Search)* at [The Reptile Database](http://www.reptile-database.org/). www.reptile-database.org.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "*Atractaspis* ". Wikispecies.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-SB95_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-SB95_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-SB95_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-SB95_5-3) [Spawls S](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Spawls), [Branch B](/source/William_Roy_Branch) (1995). *The Dangerous Snakes of Africa: Natural History, Species Directory, Venoms and Snakebite*. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-88359-029-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-88359-029-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Boulenger GA](/source/George_Albert_Boulenger) (1896). *Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III., Containing the ... Viperidæ*. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Genus *Atractaspis*, pp. 510-511, Figure 36).

## Further reading

- [Branch, Bill](/source/William_Roy_Branch) (2004). *Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa*. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-88359-042-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-88359-042-5). (Genus *Atractaspis*, pp. 61–62).

- [Smith A](/source/Andrew_Smith_(zoologist)) (1849). *Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa; Consisting Chiefly of Figures and Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected during an Expedition into the Interior of South Africa, in the Years 1834, 1835, and 1836; Fitted out by "The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa:" Together with a Summary of African Zoology, and an Inquiry into the Geographical Ranges of Species in that Quarter of the Globe*. [Volume III. Reptilia]. London: Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury. (Smith, Elder and Co., printers). 78 plates + unnumbered pages of text. (*Atractaspis*, new genus. Plate 71).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Atractaspis](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Atractaspis).

[Wikispecies](/source/Wikispecies) has information related to ***[Atractaspis](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atractaspis)***.

- *[Atractaspis](http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/search.php?submit=Search&genus=Atractaspis)* at the [Reptarium.cz Reptile Database](http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/). Accessed 29 August 2007.

- [Stiletto snakes](https://snakesarelong.blogspot.com/2012/08/stiletto-snakes.html) on [Life is Short but Snakes are Long](https://snakesarelong.blogspot.com/)

- [Side-stabbing stiletto snakes](https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/05/26/sidestabbing-stiletto-snakes) on [Tetrapod Zoology](https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology)

Taxon identifiers Atractaspis Wikidata: Q646565 Wikispecies: Atractaspis ADW: Atractaspis CoL: 3598 EoL: 35748 GBIF: 2469991 iNaturalist: 116635 IRMNG: 1008416 ITIS: 209551 NCBI: 8599 Open Tree of Life: 405956

Authority control databases National Israel Other Yale LUX

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