Many-banded snake
Species of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The many-banded snake (Naja multifasciata), also known commonly as the burrowing cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.
| Many-banded snake | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Naja |
| Subgenus: | Boulengerina |
| Species: | N. multifasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Naja multifasciata (F. Werner, 1902) | |
 | |
| distribution | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Geographic range
N. multifasciata is found in Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo,[1][2] and the Central African Republic.[1][3]
Habitat
Description
N. multifasciata is a small snake with an adult size of 50 cm (20 in) and maximum size of about 81 cm (32 in). The body is moderately slender with a short tail ending in a blunt spike. The head is short, flattened, and slightly distinct from neck; the neck region is not capable of expansion into a hood. The eyes are medium to moderately large. The pupils are round. The dorsal scales are smooth and glossy.[3]
Venom
N. multifasciata is venomous.[2][4] Its venom is similar to classical cobra venoms and appears to contain both neurotoxins and cardiotoxins.[4]
Reproduction
Taxonomy
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) [5]
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]
- Naja multifasciata anomala Sternfeld, 1917 – Cameroon
- Naja multifasciata duttoni (Boulenger, 1904)
- Naja multifasciata multifasciata (F. Werner, 1902)
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Naja.
Etymology
The subspecific name, duttoni, is in honor of British parasitologist Joseph Everett Dutton.[6]