Morphological, hemipenial and venom electrophoresis comparisons of the levantine viper, Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus, 1758), from Cyprus and southern Anatolia

Levantine vipers, Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus), from Cyprus and southern Anatolia were investigated comparatively regarding morphology, hemipenes and electrophoresis patterns of venom proteins. There were discernible differences between these compared features of the 2 populations. In the light of these differences. it is concluded that the southern Anatolian population should not be identified as the nominate subspecies M. I. lebetina (Linnaeus), which lives in Cyprus. The study material from northeastern Anatolia did not allow us to make a good comparison between M. lebetina from southern and NE Anatolia. © TÜBİTAK.