Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Plate 4.71
Desert black snake or cobra; Walter Innes' snake; iyah (
Walterinnesia
aegyptia
), Saudi Arabia.
An inhabitant of arid biotopes,
W. aegyptia
is a moderately large,
usually glossy black elapid (often
1.0 m length) that resembles the nonvenomous
Dolicophis
jugularis
.
Walterinnesia aegyptia
and its congener,
W. morgani
, are found in Israel, the
lowlands of the Middle East, and range down into northeastern Egypt. Venom lethal potency
is similar to some populations of the Asian cobra (
Naja naja
; average murine i.p. LD
50
is
approximately 0.3 mg/kg), but yield is low (several specimens from Israel averaged around
2.5 mg; SAW, unpublished data). There are anecdotal reports of fatalities from envenomations
by this species, but bites are rare, and well-documented cases are lacking. A bivalent
antivenom effective for treatment of
W. aegyptia
envenomation is available.
Photo copyright to David A. Warrell.
Plate 4.72
Blunt-nosed or Levantine viper (
Macrovipera lebetina lebetina
), Cyprus.
A
robustly large, Euro-Middle Eastern viperine viperid (up to 2 m in length) that is native to
Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan, and Israel. It is a significant cause of
snakebite, and envenomation can result in death. There is an effective antivenom for this species.
Photo copyright to David A. Warrell.
