Aspic viper
Scientific name: Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
Vipera aspis is a viper species found in southwestern Europe. Its common names include asp, asp viper, European asp, and aspic viper, among others. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, V. berus; not only can they be very painful, but approximately 4% of all untreated bites are fatal. The specific epithet, aspis, is a Greek word that means "viper." Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
From the Wikipedia article “Vipera aspis”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025.2”, publication of the biannual update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: NE Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy,.
Common names
Also known in English as Asp Viper.
Names in other languages (9)
- Arabic
- أفعى الناشر
- Chinese
- 毒蝰
- French
- Vipère aspic
- German
- Aspisviper
- Japanese
- アスプクサリヘビ
- Portuguese
- Víbora-áspide
- Russian
- Асписовая гадюка
- Spanish
- Víbora áspid, Vipera Áspid
- Turkish
- Avrupa engereği
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q572447, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Vipera aspis”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Felix Reimann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — No machine-readable author provided. Achim Raschka assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026