Cerastes gasperettii


 * Common names: Arabian horned viper, desert horned viper, Middle Eastern horned viper. 

Cerastes gasperettii, also known commonly as the Arabian horned viper and Gasperetti's horned viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to the Arabian Peninsula and north to Palestine (region), Iraq, and Iran. It is very similar in appearance to C. cerastes, but the geographic ranges of these two species do not overlap. No subspecies of C. gasperettii are recognized.

Etymology
The specific name, gasperettii, is in honor of John Gasperetti, an American surveyor, engineer, and herpetologist, who collected the holotype specimen.

Description
The average total length (including tail) of C. gasperettii is 30 - 60 cm, with a maximum total length of 85 cm. Females are usually larger than males.

Diet
The diet of C. gasperettii is thought to primarily consist of rodents, with insects, particularly beetles, and lizards making up a less significant component of its diet.

Reproduction
C. gasperettii is oviparous.

Geographic range
In the Arabian Peninsula C. gasperettii has been found in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is found in the Arava valley, located on the border between southern Israel and Jordan, eastwards through Jordan and Iraq to Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran.

The type locality given is "Beda Azan [23°41'N., 53°28'E.], Abu Dhabi [Abū Zaby]" [United Arab Emirates].

Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of C. gasperetti are desert and shrubland, at altitudes up to 1,500 m.