Vipera ammodytes, "Sand Viper" – origin of its name, and a sand habitat in Greece

The scientific name Vipera ammodytes would indicate that this viper is typically sand-dwelling but the reality is that this habitat is unusual for the species. Though it was formally described by LINNÆUS (1758), earlier works portrayed the species in much more detail and explained the curious name. In this context the works of ALDROVANDI (1639) and GESSNER (1589) are discussed. However, they erroneously included Libya in its distribution. That mistaken information might have been caused by confusion with the genus Cerastes, which can possess upward horn-like projections although not on the snout (C. cerastes), and may live in sandy habitats (C. vipera). However, members of Cerastes had already been described in separate entries, so the background for the misinformation cannot be fully explained. Even though GESSNER‘s (1589) Historia Animalium was published nearly half a millennium ago, it is still relevant to link his observations with current field studies.

From a trip to the Peloponnese in April 2008, observations on V. ammodytes were made at three localities. The first (Achaia Feneos, northern Peloponnese) being a typical macchie habitat whereas the second (Strofilia, northwestern Peloponnese) was formed by a sandy forest habitat. In the third case one individual was found on a main road on the southwestern Peloponnese. In terms of habitat selection, V. ammodytes is a true habitat generalist occurring in a wide range of habitats, also exceptionally in fully sandy habitats.