The species epithet has reverted to “lebetinus” fide Fretey (2019) due to nomenclatural rules that such epithet was viewed in original description by C. Linnaeus as a noun in apposition or in the genitive (not as adjective) and should therefore remain invariable. Macrovipera lebentinus was described from Cyprus, and whether the nominotypic subspecies is endemic to the island or also occurs in Anatolia has been controversial (summarised in Baier et al. 2013). Based on morphological (Billing and Schätti 1984) and genetic (Stümpel 2012) data southern Turkish populations are conspecific with those from Cyprus. A more in-depth analysis is however recommended to confirm this and to clarify the origin of Turkish populations.

Successful hybridization between M. l. obtusa from Azerbaijan and Macrovipera schweizerii from Milos and adjacent islands reported in Kamelin et al. (1997) and results of a recent comprehensive mitochondrial phylogeny of European vipers (Freitas et al. 2020) support suggestions that M. schweizeri is conspecific with M. lebetinus. These results are however preliminary and no formal taxonomic change has yet been proposed (Speybroeck et al. 2020, W. Wüster pers. comm. 2022).

European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

Within the European assessment region, this species is restricted to Cyprus. It is widespread on this island, with an extent of occurrence below 10,000 km², but both its abundance and population trends are poorly-documented. There are anecdotal suggestions that this species is in decline in the northern part of Cyprus. While the species is exposed to general threats to snakes reported from Cyprus, the high frequency of killings may also reflect a high population density. It is likely to be resilient to most forms of habitat loss, and the impacts on population density and habitat quality of major landscape modifications in Cyprus between 2000 and 2018 appear to have been broadly neutral.

The species is listed as Least Concern on the basis that, despite its restricted distribution, it does not occur as a severely fragmented population or at fewer than 10 locations, and it is unlikely to fully qualify as undergoing a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat or the number of mature individuals. Monitoring is nonetheless strongly recommended to understand genuine population trends and to determine whether increases in pressure from hunting, habitat degradation, water exploitation, or climate change may warrant a threatened category in future.

Within the European region, this species is restricted to Cyprus, where it is widespread across the island and at all elevations from the coast to just below the top of Mt. Olympus, with a maximum elevation of around 1,900 m asl. (Baier et al. 2013).

Globally this species ranges across an area almost 5,000 km in east-west extension between 30°E and 80°E. Its mainland Eurasian range limit lies in southern and eastern Türkiye (coastal regions from the Gulf of Antalya east across central Anatolia to the Caucasus) and the Levantine coast (where it was historically widespread but survives as what appears to be an isolated subpopulation in Jordan, and is regarded as extinct in Israel), eastwards through the Caucasus Mountains (in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, southern Russia), Iran, and Iraq through Central Asia (southern Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a northern range limit at about 41°N) as far east as Kashmir. Records from the Arabian peninsula are considered errors (e.g. Egan 2007, Sindaco et al. 2013). Globally it reaches a maximum elevation of 2,500 m asl. in the Pamir (Said-Aliev 1979), but it is rarely found above 2,250 m asl., leading to a discontinuous distribution across the high mountains of Central Asia (Kopet Dagh, Hindu Kush, Tien Shan).

There is little documented information on the abundance of this snake on Cyprus, but it appears to be encountered regularly and is familiar to many islanders (Baier et al. 2013, İlseven et al. 2020). Just over 50% of respondents in a survey of 70 snake hunters in the northern part of Cyprus reported that snake populations on the island were decreasing (İlseven et al. 2020). These authors did not distinguish population trends for individual species, but the Levantine Viper was among the best-known species to survey respondents.

On Cyprus, this species occurs in a wide variety of habitats including flat meadows, pasture, pine forest, Trachiotis (phrygana) Mediterranean scrub, rocky areas, gardens, ruins, and waste disposal sites (Baier et al. 2013). It can also sustain viable populations by using edge habitat along agricultural areas where it feeds on rodents (Ščerbak and Böhme 2005). On the island, it exhibits a preference for areas close to water sources, and is commonly found beneath bushes in spring (Baier et al. 2013). Elevation-related spring activity in males was reported by Stümpel et al. (2019). An extensive study conducted on subpopulations from northern Cyprus reported most observations in relatively close proximity to water bodies (average distance 103 m), particularly along one of the main rivers (Chrysochous River) in the area (Jestrzemski and Kuzyakova 2018). However, the authors suggested that the presence or absence of water are probably not decisive factors for the survival of the species, arguing that adequate microhabitat structural complexity that allows for proper thermoregulation and shelter from thermal extremes are most critical. Although Jestrzemski and Kuzyakova (2018) did not observe significant differences between viper proximity to water bodies according to season, sex or age, some subpopulations may at least seasonally depend on existing water bodies as reliable sources of prey (e.g. migratory birds, as is the case with the related Macrovipera schweizeri).

Although historical reports suggest the species is viviparous on Cyprus, data summariSed by Baier et al. (2013) indicate that the species is at least typically oviparous, with a clutch size of 12-15 eggs laid from mid-June to late August. These authors note that it remains possible some Cypriot subpopulations may give birth to live young.

The major threats to this species on Cyprus are likely those relating to habitat loss driven by agricultural and urban development, pesticide use, and wildfires. The latter, while infrequent, can result in complete species loss from an area in the immediate aftermath of an intense fire (İlseven et al. 2020). A quantification of land cover categories (Corine Land Cover) on Cyprus for the years 2000 and 2018 revealed: 1) an overall increase of 25% in human infrastructures, 2) a decrease of 18.9% in loose broad-leaved forest, 3) a decrease of 14.4% in natural grasslands, and 4) an increase of 41.7% in ecotone forest-shrub. While points 1) to 3) lead to further habitat fragmentation and population decline, point 4) may increase population size and occupied area to a degree that offsets the area of habitat lost, although the genuine effects of these complex habitat changes on the population dynamics are unclear.

In southern Cyprus, the species also seems to face numerous threats due to the extensive road network of the island (Zotos et al. 2018), changes of land use linked to rural development and agriculture intensification, and persecution. As an effort to assess the impact or roads on wild species a citizen science initiative was launched in 2017, and based on results to date (reported by the Cyprus Roadkill Observation System) this is the second most commonly reported snake roadkill after the Large Whip Snake (Dolichophis jugularis).

This large viper is generally heavily persecuted throughout its range with suggested decline in the northern part of Cyprus (Jestrzemski and Kuzyakova 2018, İlseven et al. 2020). Hunters and local citizens on Cyprus kill vipers instantly upon encounter due to traditional fear of snakes, and as a means of protecting themselves, their families, neighbours, and dogs from potential fatal envenomation (S. Zotos pers. comm. October 2022). The snake is excluded from European regulations prohibiting hunting (Baier et al. 2013), and although local hunters are largely aware of its value in rodent control and attribute perceived declines to a primary threat from hunting, they continue to kill snakes. It suggests that raising awareness of the snake's possible conservation needs may have limited effects, and with the growing numbers of hunting licences issued and licensing itself unregulated, İlseven et al. (2020) believe levels of exploitation in northern parts of Cyprus to be unsustainable.

This species is harvested, in some parts of its range heavily, for antivenom, on harvest levels from Cyprus. Recently a local company MedVenom Ltd. Was established in the southern part of Cyprus with the aim of milking venom from wild animals, including Macrovipera lebetinus, for medical use. Snakes (presumably including this large, well-known species) also are harvested for food and traditional medicinal use in the northern part of Cyprus, but no specific data are available (İlseven et al. 2020).

This species has been recorded from protected areas in Cyprus. Subpopulations on Cyprus should be monitored.