Bungarus slowinskii
Bungarus slowinskii, the Red River krait, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae.[2] The species is indigenous to Southeast Asia.
| Bungarus slowinskii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Bungarus |
| Species: | B. slowinskii |
| Binomial name | |
| Bungarus slowinskii Kuch et al., 2005 | |
Geographic range
Based on the current knowledge on this rare snake, B. slowinskii is endemic to Vietnam and Thailand. The first sighting in Thailand was documented on 15 September 2018.[3] It is believed that this species also occurs in Laos and Cambodia. [1]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of B. slowinskii is forest, at altitudes of 400–700 m (1,300–2,300 ft).[1]
Description
B. slowinskii has a color pattern of alternating wide black rings and narrow white rings on its body and tail. The dorsal scales are arranged in 15 rows at midbody. The dorsal scales in the vertebral row are enlarged and hexagonal. The subcaudal scales are divided.[2]
Etymology
The specific name, slowinskii, honors Joseph Bruno Slowinski, an American herpetologist who died from a krait bite at age 38.[2][4]
References
- Stuart B, Nguyen TQ (2012). "Bungarus slowinskii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- Bungarus slowinskii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 27 February 2016.
- Smits, Ton; Hauser, Sjon (2019). "First Record of the Krait Bungarus slowinskii Kuch, Kizirian, Nguyen, Lawson, Donelly and Mebs, 2005 (Squamata: Elapidae) from Thailand". Tropical Natural History 19 (2): 43–50.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Bungarus slowinskii, p. 246).
Further reading
- Kharin, Vladimir E.; Orlov, Nikolai L.; Ananjeva, Natalia B. (2011). "New Records and Redescription of Rare and Little-Known Elapid Snake Bungarus slowinskii (Serpentes: Elapidae: Bungarinae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology 18 (4): 284–294.
- Kuch, Ulrich; Kizirian, David; Nguyen, Quang Truong; Lawson, Robin; Donnelly, Maureen A.; Mebs, Dietrich (2005). "A New Species of Krait (Squamata: Elapidae) from the Red River System of Northern Vietnam". Copeia 2005 (4): 818–833. (Bungarus slowinskii, new species).