Bungarus niger
Encyclopedia
The greater black krait (Bungarus niger) is a species
of krait, a venomous elapid snake.
mainly along the sub-Himalayas
from Uttaranchal in the west to Arunachal Pradesh
and beyond India
in the east. The species was described by Frank Wall
from a specimen obtained from near Tindharia
near Darjeeling.
) but can be separated by the enlarged dorsal vertebral scales. The number of ventral and subcaudals are higher than in all other Bungarus species. (216-231 ventrals and 47-57 subcaudals).
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...
of krait, a venomous elapid snake.
Geographic range
It is found in IndiaIndia
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...
mainly along the sub-Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
from Uttaranchal in the west to Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
and beyond 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...
in the east. The species was described by Frank 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...
from a specimen obtained from near Tindharia
Tindharia
Tindharia is a village in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India lying between Siliguri and Kurseong on the Hill Cart Road ....
near Darjeeling.
Description
It is syntopic with the lesser black krait (Bungarus lividusBungarus lividus
The lesser black krait is a species of venomous elapid snake found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.Type locality: Assam, India.-References:...
) but can be separated by the enlarged dorsal vertebral scales. The number of ventral and subcaudals are higher than in all other Bungarus species. (216-231 ventrals and 47-57 subcaudals).