Figure (5) Echis coloratus Günther, 1878
Common name: Arabian saw-scaled viper, Burton’s carpet-viper.
Diagnosis. Head
very distinct from neck, Three to four scale rows between the eyes and upper
labials. 12-15 upper labials, 13-15 lower labials. Nostril is in a single or
divided nasal and a series of scales separates the nasal from rostral. Scale rows 31-37,
ventral scales 152-205,
subcaudal scales 44-57. Anal scale entire, subcaudals single. Echis is different from other
vipers by single (undivided) subcaudal scales. Males are larger than
females and have longer tails. Maximum length 83 cm. Colouration: Ground colour
quite variable: yellowish-grey or brownish-grey, but may be reddish-brown or
pink in areas of red sandstone or granite. On the back, there is a row of
grayish-white, elongate rhomboid blotches or crossbars with dark edges. Head
without distinctive marks, except a brownish-grey band from the nostril to the
edge of the mouth. The light dorsal blotches may have a
narrow dark border. The pattern of orientation of the blotches and crossbars
varies even on the same animal. On the side of the body, there is a row of
brownish blotches.
Habitats and ecology. Carpet
Vipers are abundant in the steep, dry rocky hillsides of the mountains which surround the Jordan Valley and Wadi ‘Araba and also occurs in Petra and Wadi
Ramm. It penetrates into the
Mediterranean biotope through the wadi systems emerging from the Jordan Valley
and Wadi ‘Araba. It favours hard ground covered by rocks with widely
scattered vegetation dominated by Retama raetam, Salvia graveolens, and Urginea maritima (Disi, 1983). In El Quweira the Carpet Viper was captured on a tree (Amr and Disi, 2011). It hides under medium-sized rocks. In early spring this viper is found
close to the surface of the ground under rocks or logs. As the season becomes
hotter in the summer, the vipers retract deeper into their burrows (Disi, 1987). Vertical distribution in the southern part of its range reaches up to 2600
m.
