Ophiophagus kaalinga
| Ophiophagus kaalinga | |
|---|---|
| |
| From Agumbe, Karnataka, India. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Ophiophagus |
| Species: | O. kaalinga
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ophiophagus kaalinga Gowri Shankar, Das & Ganesh, 2024
| |
Ophiophagus kaalinga, the Western Ghats king cobra, is a species of King cobra endemic to the Western Ghats of south-western India.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Description
[edit]Ophiophagus kaalinga is characterized by pale bands without darker edges on adult snakes, unlike the unbanded O. salvatana and the banded O. hannah, which has dark edges. Additionally, O. kaalinga has fewer pterygoid teeth (12) compared to O. hannah (18–21). Juvenile O. kaalinga also has 28–48 fewer body bands than O. salvatana.[1]
Etymology
[edit]
The specific epithet kaalinga comes from the Kannada language of Karnataka, India, meaning "dark" or "black" (from 'Kali' [ಕಾಳಿ] or 'Kari' [ಕರಿ]). It is an abbreviated form of "Kaalinga Havu," which is associated with Lord Shiva.
Distribution and Ecology
[edit]Ophiophagus kaalinga is endemic to the Western Ghats in southwestern India, found in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and parts of Maharashtra. Its range extends from the Ashambu hills near Kanyakumari through various mountain ranges, including the Agasthyamalai and Cardamom hills, reaching elevations of about 100 m to 1800 m above sea level. The species is hill-dwelling and thrives in mid-elevation rainforests (500–900 m) but can also be found in lower foothills and montane forests.
Conservation
[edit]As a member of the king cobra family, the Western Ghats king cobra is also considered as "vulnerable" under the IUCN Red List.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Das, Indraneil; Gowri Shankar, P.; Swamy, Priyanka; Williams, Rhiannon C.; Lalremsanga, Hmar Tlawmte; Prashanth, P.; Sahoo, Gunanidhi; Vijayakumar, S.P.; Höglund, Jacob; Shanker, Kartik; Dutta, Sushil K.; Ganesh, S.R.; Wüster, Wolfgang (2024). "Taxonomic revision of the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) species complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae), with the description of two new species". European Journal of Taxonomy (961): 1–51. doi:10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681.
- ^ Dasgupta, Shreya (2024-10-21). "Four of a kind: King cobra is a quad of species, not one, study finds". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ Ghai, Rajat (2024-10-18). "Long live the King Cobra(s): Scientists recategorise world's longest venomous snakes into 4 distinct species, with one from the Western Ghats". Down To Earth. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ Pflughoeft, Aspen. "Venomous 10-foot-long snake found in hills of India and discovered as new species". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ Hestermann, Bethanie (2024-10-18). "Scientists Discover New Large, 'Dangerously Venomous' Snakes". Outdoors with Bear Grylls. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ Hestermann, Bethanie (2024-10-22). "New king cobra species in Luzon identified". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
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