<>Bostanchi et al. (2006)
describe a very unusual new species of Pseudocerastes from the Zagros
moutains of western Iran. Pseudocerastes
urarachnoides is characterised by the posession of a
number of long, bristle-like scales along its tail tip, giving the
appearance of having an arachnid attached to the tail (hence the
specific name), or, more prosaically, that of a bottlebrush.The species
is only known from two preserved specimens, and the function of the
"bottlebrush" remains entirely unknown. Its geographic distribution lies between that of
the two other species of the genus, P.
persicus and P. fieldi.
Bostanchi, H., S.C.
Anderson, H.G.Kami &T.J. Papenfuss (2006) A new species of Pseudocerastes with elaborate tail
ornamentation from western Iran (Squamata: Viperidae). Proceedings of
the California Academy of Sciences, 57: 443–450.