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Attached two pictures of a vipera observed by a friend in eastern Georgia (Tusheti, Great Caucasus) this summer (june). Habitat: alpine meadow. Am I correct concerning the ID?

Yes, I'd say you are right with suggesting the viper in question is Vipera dinniki (location of the photo being the best identifier). You can check info such as distribution and identifying features of this viper and others in the kaznakovi complex on https://sites.google.com/site/viperacaucasica/vipera_dinniki. Nice snake!

Thank you. I knew about the link - but just one question concerning this - V. ursini has to be excluded in the Caucasus as well, right? (at least according to my book Gruber 1989 "Schlangen Europas und rund ums Mittelmeer" the subspecies V. u. ebneri could occur there - but I know - it's not the newest book ever

Searching on the Reptile Database for Vipers in Georgia the only other similar vipers are Vipera lotievi, close but out of range (appears to be present on northern slopes of the Caucasus only), and according to IUCN Vipera ebneri is present in northern Iran only. See http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/164657/0. Searching on IUCN Vipera ursinii appears not to be present in Georgia.. Hope this helps.

Nicolas,

Vipera ebneri only occurs on Talysh mountains (Azerbaijan) Elbruz mountains (Iran), "south" of Caspian sea.
Vipera eriwanensis (also formerly ssp. of ursinii) occurs in Armenia and adjacent Turkey (and Iran?).
The only other "ursinii" would be lotievi, but now included into renardi (V. r. lotievi).
Beside dinniki, the only other small viper occuring in mountain Georgia is Vipera darevskii, which looks very similar to dinniki, although only grey morphs are known.

All these vipers are very hard to determine!
Seems to be impossible by pictures only!

At least, from the picture, there is no pronounced canthus rostralis (a sharp edge of snout from eye to eye) visible, which would point to V. darevskii !?

Mario

Ok - I can see clearer now concerning vipera's in Georgia:-)
Here is one additional picture of the same individual.