Taxonomy
This species was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in Systema Naturae in 1758. Subsequently, George Albert Boulenger described a number of subspecies in the early 20th century that are still mostly recognized today. However, there are many alternative taxonomies. One additional subspecies that may be encountered in literature is V. a. ruffoi (Bruno, 1968), found in the Alpine region of Italy. However, many consider both V. a. ruffoi and V. a. gregorwalineri to be synonymous with V. a. ammodytes and V. a. transcaucasiana to be a separate species.
| Subspecies | Taxon author | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| V. a. ammodytes | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Western sand viper | Austria (Styria, Carinthia), north Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, south-west Romania, north-west Bulgaria |
| V. a. gregorwallneri | Sochurek, 1974 | Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia | |
| V. a. meridionalis | Boulenger, 1903 | Eastern sand viper | Greece (incl. Corfu and other islands), Turkish Thrace |
| V. a. montandoni | Boulenger, 1904 | Transdanubian sand viper | Bulgaria, south Romania |
| V. a. transcaucasiana | Boulenger, 1913 | Transcaucasian sand viper | Georgia, north Turkish Anatolia |
Read more about this topic: Vipera Ammodytes
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