Notes on the Natural History of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (Squamata: Viperidae)

Behzad Fathinia, Steven C. Anderson, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani, Hasan Jahani, Hosien Mohamadi

Abstract


An Iranian viper, Pseudocerastes urarachnoides, was collected alive during fieldwork in April 2008. The viper was transferred to the lab where many observations were made of its biology, behavior, feeding, habitat and distribution. During this survey we verified the previous speculation that its tail ornament (knob-like structure) is used as a lure to attract prey. Distribution was extended from Kermanshah Province to Khuzestan Province.

Keywords


Pseudocerastes; Pseudocerastes urarachnoides; tail ornament; caudal luring; Squamata; Iran; Viperidae; behavior; feeding; distribution

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2009-16-2-134-138

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