Biology:Ophiophagus kaalinga
| Ophiophagus kaalinga | |
|---|---|
| |
| From Agumbe, Karnataka, India. | |
Scientific classification 
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| 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
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
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 Sarpa," which is associated with Lord Shiva.
Distribution and Ecology
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
As a member of the king cobra species complex, the Western Ghats king cobra is also considered as "vulnerable" under the IUCN Red List.[1] Agumbe rainforest research station in Agumbe is one of the dedicated conservation efforts towards this species.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Das, Indraneil; Gowri Shankar, P.; Swamy, Priyanka; Williams, Rhiannon C.; Lalremsanga, Hmar Tlawmte; Prashanth, P.; Sahoo, Gunanidhi; Vijayakumar, S.P. et al. (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): 2681. doi:10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681. Bibcode: 2024EJTax.961.2681D. https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/2681/12413.
- ↑ Dasgupta, Shreya (2024-10-21). "Four of a kind: King cobra is a quad of species, not one, study finds" (in en-US). https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/four-of-a-kind-king-cobra-is-a-quad-of-species-not-one-study-finds/.
- ↑ 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" (in en). https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/long-live-the-king-cobras-scientists-recategorise-worlds-longest-venomous-snakes-into-4-distinct-species-with-one-from-the-western-ghats.
- ↑ Pflughoeft, Aspen. "Venomous 10-foot-long snake found in hills of India and discovered as new species". https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/venomous-10-foot-long-snake-found-in-hills-of-india-and-discovered-as-new-species/ar-AA1snPMS.
- ↑ Hestermann, Bethanie (2024-10-18). "Scientists Discover New Large, 'Dangerously Venomous' Snakes" (in en-US). https://outdoors.com/scientists-discover-new-large-dangerously-venomous-snakes/.
- ↑ Hestermann, Bethanie (2024-10-22). "New king cobra species in Luzon identified" (in en). https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/924545/new-king-cobra-species-in-luzon-identified/story/.
Wikidata ☰ Q130581069 entryTemplate:Snake-stub
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