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Arabian cobra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arabian cobra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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)
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

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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

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

The Photo Ark

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References

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  1. ^ a b Els, J.; Al Johany, A.M.H. (2012). "Naja arabica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T199850A2613995. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T199850A2613995.en. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  2. ^ Species Naja arabica at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Trape, Jean-François; Chirio, Laurent; Broadley, Donald G. [in French]; Wüster, Wolfgang (2009). "Phylogeography and systematic revision of the Egyptian cobra (Serpentes: Elapidae: Naja haje) species complex, with the description of a new species from West Africa" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2236: 1–25. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2236.1.1. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  4. ^ DELL'AMORE, DELL'AMORE (16 November 2021). "Arabian cobra becomes 12,000th animal added to ark of at-risk species". nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.

Further reading

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  • 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).