Gloydius saxatilis explained

Common names: Amur viper,^[1] rock mamushi.^[2]

Gloydius saxatilis is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Russia, China and the Korean Peninsula. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Description

It has a thicker body than other vipers. The top of the head has an inverted V-shaped marking, and lacks the white line markings of other vipers.

Habitat

They can be found in the mountains, often near streams and in forests.

Etymology

The specific name, saxatilis, means "found among rocks".

Geographic range

Found in Russia (eastern Siberia), northeastern China and North and South Korea.Chernov (1934) proposed that the type locality be restricted to the "Suchan River (in Primorskiy Kray)".

Further reading

• Soo In Kim, Keun Sik Kim, Hong Sung Kim, Doo Sik Kim, Yangsoo Jang, Kwang Hoe Chung, Yong Serk Park. 2003. Inhibitory Effect of the Salmosin Gene Transferred by Cationic Liposomes on the Progression of B16BL6 Tumors. American Association for Cancer Research 63, 6458–6462. HTML version at American Association for Cancer Research. Accessed 20 May 2007.
• Yoon-Jung Jang, Ok-Hee Jeon, Doo-Sik Kim. 2007. Saxatilin, a Snake Venom Disintegrin, Regulates Platelet Activation Associated with Human Vascular Endothelial Cell Migration and Invasion. Journal of Vascular Research, Vol. 44, No. 2. HTML and PDF versions at Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. Accessed 20 May 2007.

Notes and References

1. Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. .
2. [Howard K. Gloyd|Gloyd HK]