- Common names: pitless vipers, true vipers, Old World vipers, true adders.''
The
Viperinae, or viperines, are a
subfamily of
venomous vipers
endemic to
Europe,
Asia and
Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their
sister group, the subfamily
Crotalinae. Currently, 12
genera and 66
species are recognized. Most are
tropical and
subtropical, although one species,
Vipera berus, even occurs within the
Arctic Circle.