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:''Common names: Persian horned viper, false horned viper,〔Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ISBN 0-89464-877-2.〕 more.'' ''Pseudocerastes'' is a genus of venomous vipers endemic to the Middle East and Asia. It was originally a monotypic genus created in 1896 by Boulenger for the species ''Pseudocerastes persicus''. Due to taxonomic revision and recent discovery, the genus may currently contain as many as three species. ''Pseudocerastes'' are often referred to as false horned vipers because of the horn-like structures above their eyes that are made up of numerous small scales. This is in contrast to the "true" horned viper, ''Cerastes cerastes'', which has similar supraorbital "horns", each consisting of a single elongated scale.〔 Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies, ''Pseudocerastes persicus persicus'', described here. ==Description== Adults averages between in total length (body + tail), with a maximum total length of being reported. Females are usually larger than males. These snakes can attain a considerable weight relative to their size, with specimens sometimes exceeding .〔 The head is broad, flat, distinct from the neck and covered with small, imbricate scales. The snout is short and rounded. The nostrils are positioned dorsolaterally and have valves. The nasal scale is unbroken. The rostral scale is small and wide. The eyes are small to average in size. There are 15-20 interocular scales and 15-20 circumorbitals. The supraorbital hornlike structure above each eye consists of small, imbricate scales and is also present in juveniles. There are 11-14 supralabials and 13-17 sublabials. 2-4 rows of small scales separate the supralabial scales from the suboculars.〔 The body is covered with weakly to strongly keeled dorsal scales. On many of these, the keel terminates before the end of the scale and forms a bump. Many others form a point. At midbody, there are 21-25 scale rows, none of them oblique. There are 134-163 ventral scales and 35-50 paired subcaudals. The tail is short.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pseudocerastes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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