Elapidae
Encyclopedia
Elapidae is a family
of venomous snake
s found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia
, Australia
, Africa
, North America
and South America
and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Ocean
s. Elapid snakes exist in a wide range of sizes, from 18 cm species of Drysdalia
to the 5.6 m King Cobra
, and are characterized by hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom. Currently, 61 genera
that include 325 species
are recognized.
from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws. In outward appearance terrestrial
elapids look dissimilar to the Colubridae: almost all have long and slender bodies with smooth scales, a head that is covered with large shields and not always distinct from the neck, and eyes with round pupils. In addition, their behavior is usually quite active and most are oviparous. There are exceptions to all these generalizations: e.g. the death adders
(Acanthophis) include short and fat, rough-scaled, very broad-headed, cat-eyed, live-bearing, sluggish ambush predators with partly fragmented head shields.
Some elapids are strongly arboreal (African Pseudohaje and Dendroaspis, Australian Hoplocephalus), while many others are more or less specialised burrowers (e.g. Ogmodon, Parapistocalamus, Simoselaps, Toxicocalamus, Vermicella) in either humid or arid environments. Some species have very generalised diets, but many taxa have narrow prey preferences (stenophagy) and correlated morphological specialisations, e.g. for feeding on other snakes, elongate burrowing lizards, squamate eggs, mammals, birds, frogs, fish, etc.
Sea snakes (Hydrophiidae), which are also elapids, have adapted to a marine way of life in different ways and to various degrees. All have evolved paddle-like tails for swimming and the ability to excrete salt. Most also have laterally compressed bodies, ventral scales
are much reduced in size, their nostrils are located dorsally (no internasal scales
) and give birth to live young (ovoviviparous
). In general, they have the ability to respire through their skin; experiments with the yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus, have shown that this species can satisfy about 20% of its oxygen requirements in this manner, allowing for prolonged dives. The sea kraits (Laticauda spp.
), are the sea snakes
least adapted to an aquatic life. They spend much of their time on land, where they lay their eggs. They have wide ventral scales, the tail is not as well-developed for swimming, and their nostrils are separated by internasal scales.
ry bone, and usually only one fang is in place on each side at any time. The maxilla is intermediate in both length and mobility between typical colubrids (long, less mobile) and viperids (very short, highly mobile). When the mouth is closed, the fangs fit into grooved slots in the buccal
floor and usually below the front edge of the eye and are angled backwards; Some elapids (Acanthophis
, Oxyuranus, Dendroaspis, Ophiophagus) have long fangs on quite mobile maxillae and can make fast strikes.
A few species are capable of spraying their venom from forward-facing holes at the tips of their fangs using pressure, and this can act as a means of defense.
. Sea snakes occur mainly in the Indian Ocean
and the southwest Pacific. However, the range of one species, Pelamis platura
, extends across the Pacific to the coasts of Central
and South America
.
s, including cardiotoxin and cytotoxin.
Some large-sized elapids, such as the Asia
tic king cobra
, Africa
n black mamba
, Egyptian cobra
and Australasian coastal taipan
, can inject a high quantity of venom during envenomation. Elapids use their venom both to immobilize their prey and in self defense. The most venomous snake in the world is Belcher's sea snake
, but on land the Inland taipan is considered to be the most venomous with a subcutaneous
of 0.025 mg/kg.
* Not including the nominate subspecies.
and the 'true sea snakes' evolved separately from among the Australasian land-snakes. Asian cobras, coral snakes, and American coral snakes also appear to be monophyletic, while African cobras do not.
The type genus
for the Elapidae was originally Elaps, but that group was moved to another family. In contrast to what usually happens in botany
, the Elapidae family was not renamed. In the meantime, Elaps was renamed Homoroselaps and moved back to the Elapidae. However, Nagy et al. 2005 regard it as a sister taxon to Atractaspis
which should therefore have been assigned to the Atractaspididae
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of venomous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s. Elapid snakes exist in a wide range of sizes, from 18 cm species of Drysdalia
Drysdalia
The crowned snakes are a group of snakes belonging to the genus Drysdalia of the family Elapidae. The four species in this genus are venomous, but not considered deadly.-Description:...
to the 5.6 m King Cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
, and are characterized by hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom. Currently, 61 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that include 325 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are recognized.
Description
All elapids have a pair of proteroglyphous fangs that are used to inject venomVenom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws. In outward appearance terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
elapids look dissimilar to the Colubridae: almost all have long and slender bodies with smooth scales, a head that is covered with large shields and not always distinct from the neck, and eyes with round pupils. In addition, their behavior is usually quite active and most are oviparous. There are exceptions to all these generalizations: e.g. the death adders
Acanthophis
Acanthophis is a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world...
(Acanthophis) include short and fat, rough-scaled, very broad-headed, cat-eyed, live-bearing, sluggish ambush predators with partly fragmented head shields.
Some elapids are strongly arboreal (African Pseudohaje and Dendroaspis, Australian Hoplocephalus), while many others are more or less specialised burrowers (e.g. Ogmodon, Parapistocalamus, Simoselaps, Toxicocalamus, Vermicella) in either humid or arid environments. Some species have very generalised diets, but many taxa have narrow prey preferences (stenophagy) and correlated morphological specialisations, e.g. for feeding on other snakes, elongate burrowing lizards, squamate eggs, mammals, birds, frogs, fish, etc.
Sea snakes (Hydrophiidae), which are also elapids, have adapted to a marine way of life in different ways and to various degrees. All have evolved paddle-like tails for swimming and the ability to excrete salt. Most also have laterally compressed bodies, ventral scales
Ventral scales
In snakes, the ventral scales are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that contacts the paraventral row of dorsal scales on either side...
are much reduced in size, their nostrils are located dorsally (no internasal scales
Internasal scales
In snakes, the internasal scales are those on top of the head between the scales that surround the nostrils. They are usually paired and situated just behind the rostral....
) and give birth to live young (ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, or ovivipary, is a mode of reproduction in animals in which embryos develop inside eggs that are retained within the mother's body until they are ready to hatch...
). In general, they have the ability to respire through their skin; experiments with the yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus, have shown that this species can satisfy about 20% of its oxygen requirements in this manner, allowing for prolonged dives. The sea kraits (Laticauda spp.
Laticauda
Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. Laticauda are the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; they retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and have only a poorly developed tail fin...
), are the sea snakes
Sea Snakes
Sea Snakes were a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 2002 and disbanded in 2005. The band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Jimmy McIntyre, guitarist Kristian Galberg, bassist and saxophonist Jeremy Strachan, keyboardist Shaw-Han Liem and drummer Nathan Lawr.Strachan played in the defunct band...
least adapted to an aquatic life. They spend much of their time on land, where they lay their eggs. They have wide ventral scales, the tail is not as well-developed for swimming, and their nostrils are separated by internasal scales.
Dentition
The fangs, which are enlarged and hollow, are the first two teeth on each maxillaMaxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
ry bone, and usually only one fang is in place on each side at any time. The maxilla is intermediate in both length and mobility between typical colubrids (long, less mobile) and viperids (very short, highly mobile). When the mouth is closed, the fangs fit into grooved slots in the buccal
Buccal
Buccal may refer to:* Mouth, a body cavity** Specifically the cheek* Buccal artery...
floor and usually below the front edge of the eye and are angled backwards; Some elapids (Acanthophis
Acanthophis
Acanthophis is a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world...
, Oxyuranus, Dendroaspis, Ophiophagus) have long fangs on quite mobile maxillae and can make fast strikes.
A few species are capable of spraying their venom from forward-facing holes at the tips of their fangs using pressure, and this can act as a means of defense.
Geographic range
On land, these snakes are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, except in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Sea snakes occur mainly in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and the southwest Pacific. However, the range of one species, Pelamis platura
Pelamis platura
Pelamis platura, Yellowbelly Sea Snake, Pelagic Sea Snake or the Yellow-bellied sea snake is a species of sea snake found in tropical oceanic waters around the world.It is the only member of the genus Pelamis....
, extends across the Pacific to the coasts of Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Venom
All elapids are venomous snakes which are potentially deadly. Their venom is mainly neurotoxic, although many of them also possess several other toxinToxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s, including cardiotoxin and cytotoxin.
Some large-sized elapids, such as the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
tic king cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n black mamba
Black mamba
The black mamba , also called the common black mamba or black-mouthed mamba, is the longest venomous snake in Africa, averaging around in length, and sometimes growing to lengths of...
, Egyptian cobra
Egyptian cobra
The Egyptian cobra is a species in the genus Naja found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the largest Naja species in Africa.- Description :...
and Australasian coastal taipan
Taipan
The taipans are a genus of large, fast, highly venomous Australasian snakes of the elapid family.-Overview:The taipan was named by Donald Thomson after the word used by the Wik-Mungkan Aboriginal people of central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.There are three known species: the coastal...
, can inject a high quantity of venom during envenomation. Elapids use their venom both to immobilize their prey and in self defense. The most venomous snake in the world is Belcher's sea snake
Hydrophis belcheri
The Faint-banded Sea snake is a species of elapid sea snake. It has a friendly temperament and would normally have to be subjected to severe mistreatment before biting...
, but on land the Inland taipan is considered to be the most venomous with a subcutaneous
Subcutaneous injection
A subcutaneous injection is administered as a bolus into the subcutis, the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis, collectively referred to as the...
of 0.025 mg/kg.
Genera
| Genus | Taxon author | Species | Sub-species* | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acalyptophis | Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1869 |
1 | 0 | spiny-headed seasnake | Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:... , South China Sea South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around... , the Strait of Taiwan, and the coasts of Guangdong Guangdong Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province... , Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... , Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... , New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... , New Caledonia New Caledonia New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... (Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... , Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... , Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... ) |
| Acanthophis Acanthophis Acanthophis is a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world... |
Daudin, 1803 | 7 | 0 | death adders | Australia, New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... , Indonesia (Seram Seram Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :... and Tanimbar Tanimbar Islands The Tanimbar Islands, also called Timor Laut, are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia, including Fordata, Larat, Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selaru, Selu, Seira, Wotap, Wuliaru and Yamdena.-Geography:... ) |
| Aipysurus Aipysurus Aipysurus is a genus of venomous sea snakes found in warm seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Currently, 7 species are recognized.-Species:*) Not including the nominate subspecies .... |
Lacépède, 1804 | 7 | 1 | olive sea snakes | Timor Sea Timor Sea The Timor Sea is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, to the south by Australia and to the west by the Indian Ocean.... , South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and coasts of Australia (North Territory, Queensland, West Australia), New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands Loyalty Islands The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia... , southern New Guinea, Indonesia, western Malaysia and Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –... |
| Aspidelaps Aspidelaps Aspidelaps is a genus of venomous elapid snakes found in Africa. They are commonly called shield-nosed cobras or coral cobras after their cobra-hoods and enlarged rostral scales. However, the hood is not nearly as well developed in Aspidelaps as it is in Naja.- Species :... |
Fitzinger Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist.Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the university of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin... , 1843 |
2 | 4 | shieldnose cobras | South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... (Cape Province Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa... , Transvaal Transvaal Province Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:... ), Namibia Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March... , southern Angola Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city... , Botswana Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... , Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three... , Mozambique Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest... |
| Aspidomorphus Aspidomorphus Aspidomorphus is a genus of venomous elapid snakes found in New Guinea and neighbouring islands.They are commonly called Collared adders or Crown snakes. These are small snakes with rounded snouts and small eyes. Very little is known about these nocturnal burrowing species.- Species :-References:*... |
Fitzinger Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist.Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the university of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin... , 1843 |
3 | 3 | collared adders | New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... . |
| Astrotia | Fischer, 1855 | 1 | 0 | Stokes' sea snake | Coastal areas from west India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... through Gulf of Thailand to China Sea, west Malaysia, Indonesia east to New Guinea, north and east coasts of Australia, Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
| Austrelaps Austrelaps Austrelaps is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to the relatively fertile temperate southern and eastern part of the Australian continent. Three species are currently recognized, of which there are no subspecies. They are commonly called copperheads or Australian copperheads... |
Worrell Eric Worrell Eric Worrell was an Australian herpetologist and writer who was a pioneer in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia.Worrell was born in Sydney and grew up in Paddington... , 1963 |
3 | 0 | copperheads | Australia (South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart... ) |
| Boulengerina Boulengerina Boulengerina is a genus of elapid snakes known commonly as water cobras, so named because of their semi-aquatic nature. The genus has two recognized species, which are found in central and southern Africa... |
Dollo Louis Dollo Louis Antoine Marie Joseph Dollo was a French-born Belgian palaeontologist, known for formulating Dollo's law. He graduated as an engineer at École Centrale de Lille in France. In 1878, he supervised the excavation of the famous, multiple Iguanodon find, at Bernissart, Belgium. Recently, the... , 1886 |
2 | 1 | water cobras | Cameroon Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the... , Gabon Gabon Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west... , Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world... , Congo Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by... , Central African Republic Central African Republic The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,... , Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state... , Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the... , Rwanda Rwanda Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo... , Burundi Burundi Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura... , Zambia Zambia Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west.... |
| Bungarus Bungarus Bungarus, commonly referred to as kraits , is a genus of venomous elapid snakes found in South and South-East Asia. There are 12 species and 5 subspecies recognized.- Distribution :... |
Daudin François Marie Daudin François Marie Daudin was a French zoologist.With legs paralyzed by childhood disease, he studied of physics and natural history, but ended up being devoted to the latter.Daudin wrote in 1799–1800... , 1803 |
12 | 4 | kraits | India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... (incl. Andaman Island Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east... ), Myanmar Myanmar Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south.... , Nepal Nepal Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India... , Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –... , Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... , Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... , Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the... , Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south... , Cambodia Cambodia Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia... , Indonesia (Java, Sumatra Sumatra Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538... , Bali Bali Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east... , Sulawesi Sulawesi Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to... ), Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra... , Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... , Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... , Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
| Cacophis Cacophis The dwarf-crowned snakes are a group of snakes in the genus Cacophis distributed along eastern Australia. The 4 species in this genus are all venomous, but not dangerous to people. They inhabit a variety of forest types, from woodland to rainforest. They are generally nocturnal and feed on lizards... |
Günther, 1863 | 4 | 0 | rainforest crowned snakes | Australia (New South Wales, Queensland) |
| Calliophis Calliophis Calliophis is a genus of venomous elapid snakes known commonly as oriental coral snakes or Asian coral snakes.Species in this genus are:* Calliophis beddomei M.A. Smith, 1943– Beddome's Coral Snake... |
Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1834 |
8 | 11 | Oriental coral snakes | India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan |
| Demansia Demansia Demansia is a genus of snake of the Elapidae order. Demansia as also known as whip snakes,and all species of the family is painted on gray, cuttlefish, brown, gray-green or kaki and the unique specie in cream colour is the Yellow-faced whip snake. Whip snakes are very long and narrow. The species... |
Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1842 |
9 | 2 | whipsnakes | New Guinea, continental Australia |
| Dendroaspis | Schlegel Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history... , 1848 |
4 | 1 | mambas | Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, Principe (Gulf of Guinea), Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Sudan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Somalia, Swaziland, Zambia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone |
| Denisonia Ornamental Snake The Ornamental Snake is a small elapid snake found in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia. Ornamental snakes grow to about 40 centimetres in length and appear to be primarily frog eaters. They are nocturnal, and are thought to shelter in soil cracks during the day... |
Krefft Gerard Krefft Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft , one of Australia's first and greatest zoologists and palaeontologists. In addition to many scientific papers, his books include The Snakes of Australia, A Catalogue of the Minerals and Rocks in the Australian Museum and A Short Guide to the Australian Fossil Remains... , 1869 |
2 | 0 | ornamental snakes | Central Queensland and central northern New South Wales, Australia |
| Drysdalia Drysdalia The crowned snakes are a group of snakes belonging to the genus Drysdalia of the family Elapidae. The four species in this genus are venomous, but not considered deadly.-Description:... |
Worrell Eric Worrell Eric Worrell was an Australian herpetologist and writer who was a pioneer in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia.Worrell was born in Sydney and grew up in Paddington... , 1961 |
3 | 0 | Southeastern grass snakes | Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales) |
| Echiopsis Echiopsis Echiopsis is a genus of snake in the Elapidae family.It contains the following species:* Echiopsis curta... |
Fitzinger Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist.Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the university of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin... , 1843 |
1 | 0 | bardick | Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales) |
| Edichnopsis | Young, 2009 | 2 | 0 | Sebastian cobra (separate species) | India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, South east China (including Tibet and Hong Kong), Northern Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Also found in Southern Cambodia. |
| Elapognathus | Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1896 |
2 | 0 | Southwestern grass snakes | Western Australia. |
| Elapsoidea Elapsoidea Elapsoidea is a genus of venomous elapid snake commonly known as venomous garter snakes or African garter snakes. Despite the name, they are unrelated to the harmless North American garter snake species.- Species :... |
Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs... , 1866 |
10 | 7 | African or venomous garter snakes (not related to North American garter snakes, which are nonvenomous) | Senegal, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Gambia, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Zambia, Kenya, north Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia |
| Emydocephalus | Krefft Gerard Krefft Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft , one of Australia's first and greatest zoologists and palaeontologists. In addition to many scientific papers, his books include The Snakes of Australia, A Catalogue of the Minerals and Rocks in the Australian Museum and A Short Guide to the Australian Fossil Remains... , 1869 |
2 | 0 | turtlehead sea snakes | The coasts of Timor (Indonesian sea), New Caledonia, Australia (North Territory, Queensland, West Australia), and in the Southeast Asian Sea along the coasts of China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Ryukyu Island |
| Enhydrina | Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1849 |
2 | 0 | beaked sea snakes | In the Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, etc.), south to the Seychelles and Madagascar, SE Asian Sea (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam), Australia (North Territory, Queensland), New Guinea and Papua New Guinea |
| Ephalophis | M.A. Smith Malcolm Arthur Smith Malcolm Arthur Smith was a herpetologist and physician working in the Malay Peninsula.-Early life:He was interested in reptiles and amphibians from an early age... , 1931 |
1 | 0 | Grey's mudsnake | Northwestern Australia. |
| Furina Furina Furina is a genus of venomous, elapid snakes found in Australia. It contains five species of which there are no subspecies.-Species:... |
Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology... , 1853 |
3 | 0 | pale-naped snakes | Mainland Australia. |
| Glyphodon | Günther, 1858 | 2 | 0 | brown-headed snakes | Australia (Queensland), New Guinea. |
| Hemachatus | Fleming John Fleming (naturalist) John Fleming was a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman, naturalist, zoologist and geologist. He was born near Bathgate in Linlithgowshire and died in Edinburgh... , 1822 |
1 | 0 | spitting cobra | South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland. |
| Hemiaspis | Fitzinger Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist.Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the university of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin... , 1861 |
2 | 0 | swamp snakes | Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland) |
| Hemibungarus Hemibungarus Hemibungarus is a genus of venomous elapid snakes known commonly as Asian coral snakes or oriental coral snakes.- Taxonomy :... |
Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1862 |
1 | 2 | Asian coral snakes | Taiwan, Japan (Ryukyu Islands) |
| Homoroselaps | Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1858 |
2 | 0 | harlequin snakes | South Africa |
| Hoplocephalus Hoplocephalus Hoplocephalus is a genus of snakes in the Elapidae family.It contains the following species:* broad-headed snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides * pale-headed snake, Hoplocephalus bitorquatus... |
Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826... , 1830 |
3 | 0 | broad-headed snakes | Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland) |
| Hydrelaps | Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1896 |
1 | 0 | Port Darwin mudsnake | Northern Australia, southern New Guinea |
| Hydrophis Hydrophis Hydrophis is a genus of sea snakes. They are typically found in Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters. Currently, 34 species are recognized.-Systematics and classification:There are 34 recognized species in the genus Hydrophis.... |
Latreille Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis... In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 |
34 | 3 | sea snakes | Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters. |
| Kerilia | Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1849 |
1 | 0 | Jerdon's sea snake | Southeast Asian waters |
| Kolpophis Kolpophis Kolpophis is a genus of sea snakes of the family Hydrophiidae.... |
M.A. Smith Malcolm Arthur Smith Malcolm Arthur Smith was a herpetologist and physician working in the Malay Peninsula.-Early life:He was interested in reptiles and amphibians from an early age... , 1926 |
1 | 0 | bighead sea snake | Indian Ocean |
| Lapemis Lapemis Lapemis is a genus of sea snakes. It contains only two members:* Shaw's Sea Snake, Lapemis curtus * Spine-bellied Sea Snake, Lapemis hardwickii Gray, 1834In 1990 Voris and Gritis determined that these two species are distinct.... |
Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1835 |
1 | 1 | Shaw's sea snake | Persian Gulf to Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Indo-Australian archipelago and the western Pacific |
| Laticauda Laticauda Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. Laticauda are the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; they retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and have only a poorly developed tail fin... |
Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti was an Austrian naturalist of Italian origin.Laurenti is considered the auctor of the class Reptilia through his authorship of on the poisonous function of reptiles and amphibians... , 1768 |
5 | 0 | sea kraits | Southeast Asian and Indoaustralian waters. |
| Leptomicrurus | K.P. Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled... , 1937 |
4 | 2 | blackback coral snake | Northern South America |
| Loveridgelaps | McDowell, 1970 | 1 | 0 | Solomons small-eyed snake | Solomon Islands |
| Micropechis | Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1896 |
1 | 0 | New Guinea small-eyed snake | New Guinea |
| Micruroides | K.P. Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled... , 1928 |
1 | 2 | Western coral snakes | USA (Arizona, southwestern New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa) |
| Micrurus | Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826... , 1824 |
69 | 54 | coral snakes | Southern North America, South America |
| Naja Naja Naja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes. Although there are several other genera that share the common name, Naja are the most recognized and most widespread group of snakes commonly known as cobras. The genus Naja consists of 20 to 22 species, but has undergone several taxonomic revisions in... |
Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti was an Austrian naturalist of Italian origin.Laurenti is considered the auctor of the class Reptilia through his authorship of on the poisonous function of reptiles and amphibians... , 1768 |
23 | 3 | cobras | Africa, Asia |
| Notechis Notechis Tiger snakes are a type of venomous serpent found in southern regions of Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are highly variable in their colour, often banded like those on a tiger, and forms in their regional occurrences... |
Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1896 |
2 | 0 | tiger snakes | Southern Australia, including many offshore islands |
| Ogmodon | Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens... , 1864 |
1 | 0 | bola | Fiji |
| Ophiophagus | Günther, 1864 | 1 | 0 | king cobra | Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, west Malaysia, Philippines |
| Oxyuranus | Kinghorn, 1923 | 2 | 2 | taipans | Australia, New Guinea |
| Parahydrophis | Burger & Natsuno, 1974 | 1 | 0 | Northern mangrove sea snake | Northern Australia, southern New Guinea |
| Paranaja | Loveridge Arthur Loveridge Arthur Loveridge was a British biologist and herpetologist who wrote about animals in East Africa, particularly Tanzania, and New Guinea. He gave the scientific name to several gecko species in the region.... , 1944 |
1 | 2 | many-banded snakes | West/central Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Cameroon |
| Parapistocalamus | Roux, 1934 | 1 | 0 | Hediger's snake | Bougainville Island, Solomons |
| Paroplocephalus | Keogh, Scott and Scanlon, 2000 | 1 | 0 | Lake Cronin snake | Western Australia |
| Pelamis | Daudin François Marie Daudin François Marie Daudin was a French zoologist.With legs paralyzed by childhood disease, he studied of physics and natural history, but ended up being devoted to the latter.Daudin wrote in 1799–1800... , 1803 |
1 | 0 | yellow-bellied sea snake | Indian and Pacific Oceans |
| Praescutata viperina | Wall Frank Wall Frank Wall was a physician and herpetologist who lived in Sri Lanka and India.Wall was born in Colombo, Ceylon . His father worked there and was responsible for initiating the study of natural history on the island. Wall studied medicine in London and joined the Indian Medical Service in 1893... , 1921 |
1 | 0 | viperine Sea Snake | Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South Chinese Sea northeast to coastal region of Fujian and Strait of Taiwan |
| Pseudechis Pseudechis The genus Pseudechis contains the group of elapids commonly referred to as the Black Snakes. These snakes are found in every Australian state with the exception of Tasmania and some species are found in Papua New Guinea.... |
Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826... , 1830 |
7 | 0 | black snakes (and king brown) | Australia |
| Pseudohaje Pseudohaje Pseudohaje is a genus of African elapid snakes, commonly called tree cobras or forest cobras because of their arboreal lifestyle.-Characteristics:... |
Günther, 1858 | 2 | 0 | forest cobras | Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria |
| Pseudonaja Pseudonaja Pseudonaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Members are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the country; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal envenomation to a human.- Species :* Dugite or Spotted... |
Günther, 1858 | 8 | 2 | venomous brown snakes (and dugites) | Australia |
| Rhinoplocephalus | Müller Fritz Müller (doctor) Fritz Müller was a Swiss doctor, zoologist, and herpetologist.He was born in Basel and studied at the University of Basel from 1852 to 1854, and then at Würzburg and Prague, where he became a medical doctor in 1857... , 1885 |
6 | 0 | Australian small-eyed snakes | Southern and eastern Australia, southern New Guinea |
| Salomonelaps | McDowell, 1970 | 1 | 0 | Solomons coral snake | Solomon Islands |
| Simoselaps Simoselaps Simoselaps or Australian coral snakes is a genus composed of 15 species of venomous elapid snakes.-Description:These are small snakes. They have smooth and polished scales, shovel-shaped snouts, and are brightly marked with bands or annuli.... |
Jan Giorgio Jan Giorgio Jan was an Italian taxonomist, zoologist, botanist, herpetologist, and writer. He is also known as Georg Jan or Georges Jan.... , 1859 |
13 | 3 | Australian coral snakes | Mainland Australia |
| Sinomicrurus (Calliophis) macclellandi | Slowinski Joseph Bruno Slowinski Joseph Bruno "Joe" Slowinski, Ph.D was an American herpetologist who worked extensively with elapid snakes.He was born on November 15, 1962 in New York City, New York... et al., 2001 |
5 | 4 | MacClelland’s (Asian) coral snake | India, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan |
| Suta Suta (genus) Suta is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to mainland Australia.- Species :* Rosen's Snake, Suta fasciata — Western Australia... |
Worrell Eric Worrell Eric Worrell was an Australian herpetologist and writer who was a pioneer in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia.Worrell was born in Sydney and grew up in Paddington... , 1961 |
10 | 2 | hooded snakes (and curl snake) | Australia |
| Thalassophis | P. Schmidt, 1852 | 1 | 0 | anomalous sea snake | South Chinese Sea (Malaysia, Gulf of Thailand), Indian Ocean (Sumatra, Java, Borneo) |
| Toxicocalamus | Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1896 |
9 | 0 | New Guinea forest snakes | New Guinea (and nearby islands) |
| Tropidechis | Günther, 1863 | 2 | 0 | rough-scaled snake | Eastern Australia |
| Vermicella | Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... In Günther, 1858 |
5 | 0 | bandy-bandies | Australia |
| Walterinnesia | Lataste Fernand Lataste Fernand Lataste was a French zoologist who for example named the fat-tailed gerbil in 1880. The Lataste's Viper Vipera latastei, a viper from Spain, Portugal and North Africa, was named in his honor.... , 1887 |
2 | 0 | black desert cobra | Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey |
* Not including the nominate subspecies.
Taxonomy
The table above lists all of the elapid genera and no subfamilies. In the past, many subfamilies were recognized, or have been suggested for the Elapidae, including the Elapinae, Hydrophiinae (sea snakes), Micrurinae (coral snakes), Acanthophiinae (Australian elapids) and the Laticaudinae (sea kraits). Currently, none are universally recognized. There is now good molecular evidence via karyotyping and protein electrophoretic analysis, immunological distance, DNA sequence analysis etc. for reciprocal monophyly of two groups: the African, Asian and New World Elapinae, and Australasian and marine Hydrophiinae. Thus, the Australian terrestrial elapids are 'hydrophiines', though not sea snakes, while it is believed that LaticaudaLaticauda
Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. Laticauda are the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; they retain the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and have only a poorly developed tail fin...
and the 'true sea snakes' evolved separately from among the Australasian land-snakes. Asian cobras, coral snakes, and American coral snakes also appear to be monophyletic, while African cobras do not.
The type genus
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
for the Elapidae was originally Elaps, but that group was moved to another family. In contrast to what usually happens in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, the Elapidae family was not renamed. In the meantime, Elaps was renamed Homoroselaps and moved back to the Elapidae. However, Nagy et al. 2005 regard it as a sister taxon to Atractaspis
Atractaspis
Atractaspis is a genus of venomous snakes found in Africa. Currently, 15 species are recognized by ITIS. Others recognize 19 species. 16 are listed here.-Common names:Burrowing vipers, burrowing asps, mole vipers, stiletto snakes, side-stabbing snakes....
which should therefore have been assigned to the Atractaspididae
Atractaspididae
The Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...
.