ECOMORPHOLOGY OF THE EAST STEPPE VIPER VIPERA RENARDI (CHRISTOPH, 1861) IN THE MIDDLE DON BASIN

The study of the external morphology of reptiles is an important component of biological research. The paper describes the morphology and ecology of the East steppe viper living in the Middle Don region. The material was collected from 2021 to 2019 in the vicinity of the architectural and archaeological museum-reserve "Divnogorie", located in the northern part of the Middle Don sub-province of the Black Sea steppe province. In this area, Steppe vipers are found on chalk slopes overgrown with grassy and shrubby vegetation. When describing the metric signs and scutellation of vipers, it was determined that the average value of the tail length and the number of pairs of undercaudal scales in males is greater than in females. A comparison was made of the ratio of the total body length to the length of the tail for steppe vipers from different parts of the range. The comparison showed that this value in steppe vipers living near the northern border of the range is significantly higher compared to individuals from more southern points of the species range. When describing the variability of the pileus of steppe vipers, all variants of the pileus were combined into five groups. In addition, combinations of individual pileus scutes have been described. Among all the pileus scutes, the parietal scutes were characterized by the highest coefficient of variation. The eastern steppe viper deserves special attention as it is a vulnerable species. Further studies of the bioecology of V. renardi in the Middle Don region may contribute to the conservation of the species and the stability of ecosystems