Common names: Hughes' carpet viper, Somali carpet viper, Hughes' saw-scaled viper.

Echis hughesi is a venomous

Venomous snake

"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...

 viper

Viperinae

The Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the Crotalinae. Currently, 12 genera and 66 species are recognized...

 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 found only in Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Description

Grows to about 21-32 cm in length. The head scalation is similar to that of E. pyramidum

Echis pyramidum

Echis pyramidum is a species of venomous viper found mainly in north-east Africa, but also in parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.-Description:...

. Midbody, there are 24-25 dorsal scales

Dorsal scales

In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales.When counting dorsal scales, numbers are often given for three points along the body, for example 19:21:17...

. The ventrals number 144-149 and the subcaudals 28-30. The color pattern varies, but generally consists of a series of pale, oblique, dorsal blotches set against a darker ground color.

Geographic range

Northern Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

, in northern Migiurtinia, near Meledin. The type locality is listed as "Somalia, 10°02' [N lat.], 49° [E long.]." Migiurtinia was the name of a region, or gobolka, in Somalia that is currently known as Bari and occupies about 70000 km² (27,027.2 sq mi) of the tip of the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

.