Sunday, December 18, 2011

[Herpetology • 1999] Atheris broadleyi • A new arboreal viper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Atheris) from Cameroon, Africa



Atheris broadleyi Lawson, 1999
Cameroon bush viper

Description: A medium-sized, "rough-scaled" true viper (adder) of varied colors & patterns. Very similar to A. squamigera.
Habitat: Found mainly in forest margins. Reported only from Cameroon (East Province).
Activity and Behavior: Mainly arboreal & usually nocturnal, but may bask in the sun occasionally, & sometimes hunts for small animal prey near or on the ground.
Venom Characteristics: Not much known, but mainly hemotoxic.




Lawson 1999. A new species of arboreal viper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Atheris) from Cameroon, Africa. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 112 (4): 793-803. http://biostor.org/reference/68986