Many-banded snake

Many-banded snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Elapidae
Genus:Paranaja
Loveridge, 1944
Species: P. multifasciata
Binomial name
Paranaja multifasciata
Werner, 1902
Naja multifasciata distribution
Synonyms

Naja multifasciata

Paranaja multifasciata or Naja multifasciata is a species of venomous elapid snake commonly known as the many-banded snake or burrowing cobra. The species is found in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in Africa.

Description

Despite the common name, the species is not actually banded, but overall iridescent black, with cream colored blotching on each scale. The snakes grow to approximately 600 millimetres (24 in) in length.

Venom

Not much is known about their venom, but it is likely a neurotoxin, like many other elapid snakes. The genus Paranaja was synonymised with Naja in a recent molecular phylogenetic study, as this species is closely related to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca) [1]

Subspecies

  • Paranaja multifasciata anomala (Sternfeld, 1917)
  • Paranaja multifasciata duttoni (Boulenger, 1904)
  • Paranaja multifasciata multifasciata (Werner, 1902)

References

  1. ↑ Wüster, W., Crookes, S., Ineich, I., Mané, Y., Pook, C.E., Trape, J.-F. & Broadley D.G. (2007) The phylogeny of cobras inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences: evolution of venom spitting and the phylogeography of the African spitting cobras (Serpentes: Elapidae: Naja nigricollis complex). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45, 437–453.


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