Abstract
A new species of arboreal forest viper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Athens) from a forest fragment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania is described and named Athens matildae sp. nov. The species resembles the forest horned viper, Athens ceratophora Werner, by bearing horn-like supraciliary scales but it differs in size, body proportions, scalation, scale ultrastructure, and distribution. Genetic divergence is also assessed and the two species have an estimated divergence time of approximately 2.2 millionyears. An overview of the genus Athens in Tanzania, including new distribution data, is presented and the conservation status of the new taxon is discussed.
NSTL