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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 15th, 2024.


Taxonomy of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]
Bibliography of the genus Ophiophagus
Biodiversity of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]








Genus
Ophiophagus

King Cobras

Königskobras

Kongekobraer, Kæmpebrilleslanger

1836 Hamadryas Cantor [not Hamadryas Hübner 1808 (Lepidoptera)] (type species: Hamadryas hannah Cantor 1836; syn. Williams & Wallach 1989)
1843 Dendraspis Fitzinger [suppressed] (type species: Naja bungarus Schlegel 1837; syn. Smith & Chiszar 1989)
1864 Ophiophagus Günther (type species: Hamadryas elaps Günther 1858; International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1964: Opinion 709)
Contents: 4 species, of which 2 (50.0%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: The genus previously contained only a single species (hannah). Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Ganesh, Moss, Höglund, Das, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Shankar, Wüster & Dutta (2021) presented evidence suggesting the presence of four separate species, and Das, Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Lalremsanga, Prashanth, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Höglund, Shanker, Dutta, Ganesh, Wüster (2024) reviewed the taxonomy of the genus, naming the four species, two of which were new.
Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hong Kong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands [Andaman Islands], Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal), Indonesia (Anambas Islands, Bali, Banggai Islands, Bangka, Belitung, Buton, Java, Kalimantan, Nias, Riau Islands, Simeulue, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Weh), Laos, Malaysia, (Sabah, Sarawak, West Malaysia [incl. Langkawi Archipelago, Seribuat Archipelago (incl. Tioman)]), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines (Balabac, Bohol, Calamian Islands [Busuanga], Cebu, Dinagat, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Polillo, Romblon, Samar, Sulu Islands [Jolo]), Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Ophiophagus bungarus

Sunda King Cobra

Sunda-Königskobra

Sunda-kongekobra

1837 Naja bungarus Schlegel
Dendraspis bungarus Fitzinger 1843
Trimeresurus bungarus Jan 1859
Dendraspis hannah bungarus Deraniyagala 1960
Ophiophagus bungarus Das, Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Lalremsanga, Prashanth, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Höglund, Shanker, Dutta, Ganesh, Wüster 2024
1882 Naja ingens Van Hasselt (Das & al. 2024)
1960 Dendraspis hannah borneensis Deraniyagala (Das & al. 2024)

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of hannah (e.g., Golay & al. 1993). Revalidated by Das, Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Lalremsanga, Prashanth, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Höglund, Shanker, Dutta, Ganesh & Wüster (2024). In the Philippines, known with certainty only from the southern islands. Taxonomic status of the populations in many islands is unresolved and needs further studies. All Philippine populations, apart from Luzon, are provisionally assigned herein to bungarus. Leviton, Siler, Weinell & Brown (2018, as hannah) did not include Busuanga (Calamian Islands) in the distribution of the species.
Distribution: Brunei, Indonesia (Anambas Islands, Bali, Banggai Islands, Bangka, Belitung, Buton, Java, Kalimantan, Nias, Riau Islands, Simeulue, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Weh), Malaysia, (Sabah, Sarawak, West Malaysia [incl. Langkawi Archipelago, Penang Island, Seribuat Archipelago (incl. Tioman)]), Philippines (Balabac, Bohol, Calamian Islands [Busuanga], Cebu, Dinagat, Leyte, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Polillo, Romblon, Samar, Sulu Islands [Jolo]), Singapore, Thailand.


Ophiophagus bungarus
© Henrik Bringsøe


Ophiophagus hannah

Northern King Cobra, Hamadryad

Nördliche Königskobra

Nordlig Kongekobra

1836 Hamadryas Hannah Cantor
Naja hannah Taylor 1922
Ophiophagus hannah Bogert 1945
Dendraspis hannah Deraniyagala 1955
1838 Hamadryas ophiophagus Cantor (Das & al. 2024)
Trimeresurus ophiophagus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854
1858 Hamadryas elaps Günther (Das & al. 2024)
Ophiophagus elaps Günther 1864
Naja elaps Theobald 1876
Dendraspis hannah elaps Deraniyagala 1960
1861 Naja fasciata Peters [not Naja fasciata Laurenti 1768] (Golay & al. 1993)
Ophiophagus fasciatus Boettger 1886
1956 Naja hamadryad Purarananda (Golay & al. 1993)
1960 Dendraspis hannah sinensis Deraniyagala (Das & al. 2024)
1961 Dendraspis hannah brunnea Deraniyagala (Das & al. 2024)
1961 Dendraspis hannah nordicus Deraniyagala (Das & al. 2024)
1840 Naia Vittata Elliot (Das & al. 2024)

Remarks: Previously included bungarus and the populations now assigned to kaalinga and salvatana.
Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hong Kong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands [Andaman Islands], Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal [incl. Darjeeling]), Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam.



Ophiophagus hannah
© Rune Midtgaard

Ophiophagus kaalinga

Western Ghats King Cobra

Südwestindische Königskobra

Sydvestindisk Kongekobra

2024 Ophiophagus kaalinga Gowri, Shankar, Das & Ganesh in Das, Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Lalremsanga, Prashanth, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Höglund, Shanker, Dutta, Ganesh, Wüster

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of hannah (e.g., Golay & al. 1993).
Distribution: India (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu).





Ophiophagus salvatana

Luzon King Cobra

Luzon-Königskobra

Luzon-kongekobra

2024 Ophiophagus salvatana Gowri, Shankar, Das & Wüster in Das, Gowri Shankar, Swamy, Williams, Lalremsanga, Prashanth, Sahoo, Vijayakumar, Höglund, Shanker, Dutta, Ganesh, Wüster

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of hannah (e.g., Golay & al. 1993).
Distribution: Philippines (Luzon).