Appearance
Outwardly, ''P. p. fieldi'' differs from ''P. p. persicus'' only in certain scale counts:...snipped...
Distribution
According to McDiarmid et al. : the Sinai Peninsula, Israel, Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, northwestern Iraq and possibly in southern Syria. The type locality given in the original description is "Blair Wells, Transjordania" [Jordan].According to Mallow et al. : the Sinai Peninsula, southern Israel, Jordan, extreme northern Saudi Arabia and southwestern Iraq.
Defense
There is a more pronounced difference between the two subspecies with regard to their venom. While ''P. p. persicus'' venom exhibits strong hemorrhagic activity typical of most vipers, the venom of ''P. p. fieldi'' is unusual in that contains several fractions that show marked neurotoxic activity. No antivenin is available for bites from either subspecies. It is reported that a polyvalent antiserum does offer some protection from the hemotoxins, but none against the neurotoxic effects of ''P. p. fieldi'' venom.References:
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