Aspidelaps
Aspidelaps is a genus of venomous elapid snakes endemic to Africa. Species in the genus Aspidelaps are commonly called shield-nosed cobras or coral cobras after their cobra hoods and enlarged rostral (nose) scales. However, the hood is not nearly as well developed in Aspidelaps as it is in Naja.
| Aspidelaps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. scutatus, the shield-nosed cobra | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Aspidelaps Fitzinger, 1843 |
 | |
| range of A. lubricus range of A. scutatus | |
Species
| Image | Species | Authority | Subsp.* | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
A. lubricus | (Laurenti, 1768) | 2 | Cape coral snake | South Africa (Cape Province), southern Angola, Namibia |
|
A. scutatus | (A. Smith, 1849) | 3 | shield-nosed cobra | Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, north-east South Africa, Mozambique |
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Aspidelaps.
Venom
Aspidelaps venom is neurotoxic, and Aspidelaps bites have caused human deaths in a few cases.[1]
gollark: That's basically impossible, unless I try and draw on... human nature or something, which is baaaasically just a somewhat obfuscated ethical framework.
gollark: Well, I can't exactly justify an ethical framework to you which you don't agree with.
gollark: Auta?
gollark: Well, yes.
gollark: What?
References
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp., 112 color plates. (Genus Aspidelaps, p. 103).
External links
- Genus Aspidelaps at The Reptile Database
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphae and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Genus Aspidelaps, p. 390).
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised Edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. (Genus Aspidelaps, p. 103).
- Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Aspidelaps, new genus, p. 28). (in Latin).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.