Bush vipers of the genus Atheris are endemic to Africa, from Guinea in the west to Tanzania in the east. Many species have limited distribution and are restricted to pockets of rainforest or cool mountain grassland. There are currently nine species recognised. A. superciliaris and A. hindi have recently been removed from Atheris and the former sub-species rungweensis and laviceps are now largely recognised as species in their own right.

The Ivorian tree viper can be distinguished from Ghanian animals by colour, as no morphological comparisons have yet been performed. The tongue is pink, as compared to the blue tongue of specimens from Ghana, and the eye is a brighter green than Ghanaian animals. The belly of Ivorian tree vipers is light yellow, whereas those from Ghana usually have a light-green to whitish belly. The most striking difference, however, is the high proportion of yellow on an otherwise green body, with the yellow comprising from 25 to 75% of the total body colour. This coloration is certainly apparent from the juvenile stage through to adulthood but as I have not seen neonate Ivorian tree vipers, I do not know if the difference is noticeable from birth.

The photographs show the clear difference between animals from the Ivory Coast and from Ghana.Whether these animals are just a colour variation, a subspecies or an entirely new species is unknown at this point in time, no specimens having yet been presented for evaluation.

The forests that these animals live in are termed rainforests by some but the areas I have mainly seen are what I would term regrowth and not what I feel should be described as true rainforest. They are mainly found in small trees and bushes. They may also occur in larger trees but as nobody seems to want to climb up and find out, we do not really know. The humidity in these forests is quite high and most people find themselves perspiring a few minutes of entering.

Maintaining this variety in captivity is quite straightforward and simple, as long as one follows some fairly basic rules. Adults will normally eat adult mice without a thought and the smaller males may be tempted with ‘runner’ mice. Juveniles are more difficult, requiring some teasing with the food. Neither adults nor juveniles should be fed too regularly, as they are prone to obesity.

The cage must be humid, but must also have some areas for the snakes to rest which are not too damp. I use plastic tubs with water in the bottom and supply a couple of branches for the snakes to rest on. The water is changed weekly and is removed whilst feeding is in progress. The cage is then allowed to dry out for a couple of days. The branches are changed regularly, depending on how quickly they become soiled.

So, for those of your who keep Atheris chlorechis, note carefully the differences I have described - you may actually have some specimens in your collection! Animals presented as a different variety have been available in the UK, but is is unknown if other exported animals were also sold in this way. This shows the importance of locality data for animals and also keeping different bloodlines distinct. Whole new species are continually being split off from otherwise known species.