Bitis arietans (Merrem, 1820)

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 155

Bitis arietans (Merrem, 1820)

An individual was photographed by A. Willaume on 22 March 2015 at 12h 33 in a savanna in Lékédi Park.

It showed the typical dorsal chevron pattern, the beige interorbital band and two beige spots on the back of the dorsal surface of the head. The weather was sunny and the viper was aggressive when approached. New record for the park and for the Dept. This savanna-dwelling viper is known in Gabon only from a handful of localities in Haut-Ogooué and Nyanga provinces ( Pauwels et al. 2012, 2017d, 2018a,b).

Bitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) Pearson et al. (2007) mentioned Bitis gabonica from Plateaux Batéké NP, but they did not provide a photo nor the reference to a voucher specimen. The species was confirmed from Haut-Ogooué Prov. by Pauwels and Sallé (2009) based on an individual from Franceville in Passa Dept. On 22 April 2016 SM photographed a young individual in Lékédi Park ( Fig. 31 ). The snake was found at 11h 15 in a forest within a large enclosure where a group of habituated mandrills ( Cercopithecidae : Mandrillus sphinx ) lives in semi-freedom ( Brockmeyer et al. 2015), and was signalled by their alert calls. New record for the park and for the Dept.

Figures

Fig. 31. Young Bitis gabonica in Lékédi Park, Haut-Ogooué Prov., southeastern Gabon. Photograph by S. Morelle.