Biology:Arabian cobra

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Short description: Species of snake

Arabian cobra
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Naja
Subgenus: Uraeus
Species:
N. arabica
Binomial name
Naja arabica
(Scortecci, 1932)
Geographic range of Naja arabica.svg
Range of Arabian cobra
Synonyms[2]
  • Naja haje arabica
    Scortecci, 1932
  • Naja (Uraeus) arabica
    — Wallach et al., 2009
  • Naja arabica
    — Trape et al., 2009
  • Uraeus arabica
    — Wallach et al., 2014

The Arabian cobra (Naja arabica) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Etymology and Taxonomy

Naja arabica is classified under the genus Naja of the family Elapidae. It was first described by an Italian herpetologist, Giuseppe Scortecci in 1932. The generic name Naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá (नाग), meaning "cobra”. The specific epithet arabica means “of Arabia” or “Arabic”.

This species, Naja arabica, had long been considered a subspecies of the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species.[3]

Distribution

The Arabian cobra is found in western Oman, southwestern Saudi Arabia, and throughout Yemen.[1]

The Photo Ark

  • In November 2021, National Geographic announced that the Arabian cobra was the milestone 12,000th animal photographed for The Photo Ark.[4]

References

Further reading

  • Scortecci G (1932). "Rettili dello Yemen ". Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano 71: 39–49. (Naja haje arabica, new subspecies, pp. 47–49). (in Italian).

Wikidata ☰ Q3022864 entry