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European asp, Vipera aspis "Asp" is the modern anglicisation of the word "aspis", which in antiquity referred to any one of several venomous snake species found in the Nile region. [1] The specific epithet, aspis, is a Greek word that means "viper". [2] It is believed that aspis referred to what is now known as the Egyptian cobra. [3]
Atractaspis andersonii, the Arabian small-scaled burrowing asp, is a species of snake in the family Atractaspididae. It lives in dry desert regions in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Oman, Yemen and Jordan. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1905.
Its common names include asp, asp viper, [5] European asp, [6] and aspic viper, [7] among others. Like all other vipers, it is venomous . Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, V. berus ; not only can they be very painful, but approximately 4% of all untreated bites are fatal. [ 7 ]
Atractaspis phillipsi, the Phillips’ burrowing asp or the Phillips erdviper, is a species of snake from the Atractaspis genus native to Sudan and South Sudan. The species was described in by Barbour in 1913.
Atractaspis aterrima, commonly known as the slender burrowing asp or mole viper, is a species of fossorial, venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The specific epithet , aterrima , meaning "blackest", is the superlative form of the Latin adjective ater , meaning "black".
This snake is active mainly at night, and is found in arid or semi-arid desert areas. It dwells in underground burrows (hence the name "mole viper" or "burrowing asp"), is found under rocks, and is seen basking on roads on warm nights.
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Bites are common in some areas of Africa. Often, snake handlers are bitten who are unaware that this species is able to bite while being held by its neck. It is the third most common cause of serious snakebites in South Africa, after the Mozambique spitting cobra and the Puff adder. [10]