It has a thicker body than other vipers. The top of the head has an inverted V-shaped marking, and lacks the white line markings of other vipers.
They can be found in the mountains, often near streams and in forests.
Found in Russia (eastern Siberia), northeastern China and North and South Korea.Chernov (1934) proposed that the type locality be restricted to the "Suchan River (in Primorskiy Kray)".