Elapidae

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Elapidae

The Elapidae, or elapids, are a family

Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by a common ancestry, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," some cultural anthropology have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts r...
of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
and the Pacific. They are characterized by possessing a set of hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom, and come in a wide range of sizes, from only 18 cm (Drysdalia
Drysdalia

The Crowned Snakes are a group of snakes belonging to the genus Drysdalia native to parts of southern and eastern Australia. The 4 species in this genus are venomous, but not considered deadly....
) up to 6 m in length (Ophiophagus
King Cobra

The King Cobra is the world's longest venom snake, with a length that can be as large as 5.7 m . This species is widespread throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India, but found mostly in forested areas....
). Currently, 61 genera

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
that include 235 species

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....
are recognized.

ardly, terrestrial

Terrestrial animal

Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land, as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats ....
elapids look similar to the colubridae: almost all have long and slender bodies with smooth scales, a head that is covered with large shields and not always distinct from the neck, and eyes with round pupils.

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Encyclopedia

The Elapidae, or elapids, are a family

Family

Indian Ocean

Genus

Species

Description

Outwardly, terrestrial

Terrestrial animal

Acanthophis

Acanthophis is a genus of highly venomous snake Elapidae snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world....
(Acanthophis) include short and fat, rough-scaled, very broad-headed, cat-eyed, live-bearing, sluggish ambush predators with partly fragmented head shields.

Some elapids are strongly arboreal (African Pseudohaje and Dendroaspis, Australian Hoplocephalus), while many others are more or less specialised burrowers (e.g. Ogmodon, Parapistocalamus, Simoselaps, Toxicocalamus, Vermicella) in either humid or arid environments. Some species have very generalised diets but many taxa have narrow prey preferences (stenophagy) and correlated morphological specialisations, e.g. for feeding on other snakes, elongate burrowing lizards, squamate eggs, mammals, birds, frogs, fish, etc.

Sea snake

Sea snake

Sea snakes, or seasnakes, are venomous snake Elapidae snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. Though they evolved from terrestrial ancestors, most are extensively adapted to a fully aquatic life and are unable to even move on land, except for the genus Laticauda, which retain ancestral characteristics...
s, which are also elapids, have adapted to a marine way of life in different ways and to various degrees. All have evolved paddle-like tails for swimming and the ability to excrete salt. Most also have laterally compressed bodies, ventral scales

Ventral scales

In snakes, the ventral scales are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale....
are much reduced in size, their nostrils are located dorsally (no internasal scales

Internasal scales

In snakes, the internasal scales are those on top of the head between the scales that surround the nostrils. They are usually paired and situated just behind the Rostral scale....
) and give birth to live young (ovoviviparous

Ovoviviparity

Ovoviviparous, also known as oviviparous, animals develop within Egg s that remain within the mother's body up until they hatch or are about to hatch....
). In general they have the ability to respire through their skin; experiments with the yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platurus
Pelamis platurus

Yellowbelly Sea Snake or Pelagic Sea Snake is a species of Hydrophiidae found in tropical oceanic waters around the world....
, have shown that this species can satisfy about 20% of its oxygen requirements in this manner, allowing for prolonged dives. The sea kraits (Laticauda sp.
Laticauda

Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. The laticauda is the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; it retains the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and has only a poorly developed tail fin....
), are the least well-adapted to an aquatic life. They spend much of their time on land, where they lay their eggs. They have wide ventral scales, the tail is not as well-developed for swimming, and their nostrils are separated by internasal scales.

All elapids have a pair of proteroglyphous fangs that are used to inject venom

Venom

Venom is any of a variety of poisons used by certain types of animals. Generally, venom is injected by such means as a bite or a sting....
from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws. The fangs are the first two teeth on each maxillary

Maxillary

Maxillary is something related to the maxilla bone. It may be:*Maxillary artery*Maxillary nerve*Maxillary prominence*Maxillary sinus...
bone, which are enlarged and hollow, and usually only one is in place on each side at any time. The maxilla is intermediate in length and mobility between typical colubrids (long, less mobile) and viperids (very short, highly mobile). When the mouth is closed, the fangs fit into grooved slots in the buccal

Buccal

Buccal can refer to:* The adjective form of cheek* The buccal index* The buccal smear* The "buccal artery", also known as the Buccinator artery...
floor; in the longest-fanged elapids (e.g. Acanthophis, Oxyuranus) it is common for the fangs to pierce right through the intermandibular skin, which does not seem to endanger the snake. The fangs are usually below the front edge of the eye and are angled backwards; due to this construction, most elapids must actually bite in order to envenomate. This action is therefore not as quick as with the viperids

Viperidae

The Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Australia and Madagascar. All have relatively long hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom....
, that can envenomate with only a quick, stabbing motion. Some elapids (Acanthophis, Oxyuranus, and especially Dendroaspis) have long fangs on quite mobile maxillae (the prefrontal and ectopterygoid contacts are nearly as close together as in viperids), and can therefore make very fast stabbing strikes like viperids. A few species are capable of spraying their venom from forward facing holes at the tips of their fangs as a means of defense. Elapids use their venom both to immobilize their prey and in self-defense.

Geographic range

On land, these snakes are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, except in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. Sea snakes occur mainly in the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
and South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
.

Venom

All elapids are venomous and many are potentially deadly. The venoms are mostly neurotoxic

Neurotoxin

A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels.Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue....
and are considered more dangerous than the mainly proteolytic

Proteolysis

Proteolysis is the directed degradation of proteins by cellular enzymes called proteases or by intramolecular digestion....
viper

Viperidae

The Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Australia and Madagascar. All have relatively long hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom....
venoms. Members include the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), a species many regard as the world's most dangerous snake, the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), which is the most venomous land snake, and Hydrophis belcheri
Hydrophis belcheri

The Faint-banded Sea snake is a species of Hydrophiidae. It is the most toxic snake in the world. It has a friendly temperament and would normally have to be subjected to severe mistreatment before biting....
, a sea snake having the most toxic venom of all snakes.

Genera

Genus	Taxon author	Species	Subsp.*	Common name	Geographic range
Acalyptophis	Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger was a Belgium-United Kingdom zoologist.... , 1869	1	0	Spiny-headed seasnake	Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand is a body of water that borders, but is not part of the South China Sea . The gulf is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.... , South China South China South China or Southern China can refer to* South China Athletic Association - a sports club in Hong Kong First Division League* South China ... sea, the Strait of Taiwan, and the coasts of Guangdong Guangdong Guangdong is a political divisions of China on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province is also known by an alternative English language name, the Canton Province.... , Indonesia Indonesia The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state.... , Philippines Philippines The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.... , New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period.... , New Caledonia New Caledonia New Caledonia , is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the Oceania. It comprises a main island , the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands.... , Australia Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans.... (Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal states and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions.... , Queensland Queensland Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south.... , Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.... ).
Acanthophis Acanthophis *Acanthophis* is a genus of highly venomous snake Elapidae snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world....	Daudin, 1803	7	0	Death adders	Australia, New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period.... , Indonesia (Seram Seram Seram is an island in the Maluku Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.... and Tanimbar Tanimbar Islands The Tanimbar Islands, also called *Timor Laut*, are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia, including Fordata, Larat, Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selaru, Selu, Seira, Wotap, Wuliaru and Yamdena.... ).
Aipysurus Aipysurus *Aipysurus* is a genus of venomous snake sea snakes found in warm seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Currently, 7 species are recognized....	Lacépède, 1804	7	1	Olive sea snakes	Timor Sea Timor Sea The Timor Sea is a sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, to the south by Australia and to the west by the Indian Ocean.... , South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and coasts of Australia (North Territory, Queensland, West Australia), New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands Loyalty Islands The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the France territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is 100 km distant.... , southern New Guinea, Indonesia, western Malaysia Malaysia Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government.... and Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.... .
Aspidelaps Aspidelaps *Aspidelaps* is a genus of venomous snake Elapidae snakes found in Africa. They are commonly called shield-nosed cobras after their cobra-hoods and enlarged rostral scales....	Fitzinger Leopold Fitzinger Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was an Austrian zoologist.Fitzinger was born in Vienna and studied botany at the university of Vienna under Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin.... , 1843	2	4	Shieldnose cobras	South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.... (Cape Province Cape Province The Cape of Good Hope Province was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Colony, and had Cape Town as its capital.... , Transvaal Transvaal File:Flag of Transvaal.svgFile:Transvaal map.pngFile:Spelterini Transvaal.jpgThe Transvaal is the name of an area of northern South Africa.... ), Namibia Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south.... , southern Angola Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordering Namibia to the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, and Zambia to the east, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean.... , Botswana Botswana The Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland Protectorate, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth of Nations on 30 September 1966.... , Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east.... ,Mozambique Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest.... .
Aspidomorphus lineaticollis	Fitzinger, 1843	3	3	Collared adders	New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period.... .
Astrotia	Fischer, 1855	1	0	Stoke's sea snake	Coastal areas from west India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India.... through Gulf of Thailand to China Sea, west Malaysia Malaysia Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government.... , Indonesia east to New Guinea, north and east coasts of Australia, Philippines Philippines The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.... .
Austrelaps Austrelaps *Austrelaps* is a genus of venomous snake Elapidae snakes native to the relatively fertile temperate southern and eastern part of the Australian continent....	Worrell, 1963	3	0	Copperheads	Australia (South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait.... ).
Boulengerina Boulengerina *Boulengerina* is a genus of elapid snakes known commonly as water cobras. So named because of their semi-aquatic nature. The genus has two recognized species, which are found in central and southern Africa....	Dollo Louis Dollo Louis Antoine Marie Jos?ph Dollo was a France-born Belgian people palaeontologist, known for formulating Dollo's law. In 1878, he supervised the excavation of the famous, multiple Iguanodon find, at Bernissart, Belgium.... , 1886	2	1	Water cobras	Cameroon Cameroon The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary state of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south.... , Gabon Gabon Gabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south.... , Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area.... , Congo Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo , also known as Congo-Brazzaville or the Congo, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda , and the Gulf of Guinea.... , Central African Republic Central African Republic The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west.... , Tanzania Tanzania Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south.... , Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a Spanish-speaking country located in Central Africa. With an area of 28,000 km2 it is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa, having a population estimated at half a million.... , Rwanda Rwanda The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.... , Burundi Burundi Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the south and east, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.... , Zambia Zambia The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west.... .
Bungarus Bungarus *Bungarus* is a genus of venomous snake Elapidae snakes found in South Asia and South-East Asia. Commonly referred to as kraits, there are 12 species and 5 subspecies....	Daudin, 1803	12	4	Kraits	India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... (incl. Andaman Island Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands are a group of archipelago islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India.... ), Myanmar Myanmar Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with... , Nepal Nepal Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India.... , Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.... , Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia.... , Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th... , Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India.... , Bangladesh Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south.... , Cambodia Cambodia The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh.... , Indonesia (Java, Sumatra Sumatra Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the list of islands by area in the world .... , Bali Bali Bali is an Indonesian island located at , the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 Provinces of Indonesia with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island.... , Sulawesi Sulawesi Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands.... ), Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia , also known as Malaya or West Malaysia, is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north.... , Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands.... , Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands... , Thailand Thailand The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar.... .
Cacophis Cacophis The dwarf-crowned snakes are a group of snakes in the genus Cacophis distributed along eastern Australia. The 4 species in this genus are all venomous, but not dangerous to people....	Günther Albert C. L. G. Günther Albrecht Karl Ludwig Gotthilf G?nther Fellow of the Royal Society October 3, 1830 ? February 1 1914, was a Germany-born British zoologist.G?nther was born in Esslingen in Swabia .... , 1863	4	0	Rainforest crowned snakes	Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).
Calliophis Calliophis *Calliophis* is a genus of venomous snake elapid snakes known commonly as oriental coral snakes or Asian coral snakes....	Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray was a United Kingdom zoology. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1834	8	11	Oriental coral snakes	India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan.
Demansia	Gray, 1842	9	2	Whipsnakes	New Guinea, continental Australia.
Dendroaspis	Schlegel Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel was a Germany ornithologist.... , 1848	4	1	Mambas	Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, Principe (Gulf of Guinea), Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Sudan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Somalia, Swaziland, Zambia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone.
Denisonia	Krefft Gerard Krefft Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft , one of Australia's first and greatest zoology and paleontology. In addition to many scientific papers, his books include The Snakes of Australia, A Catalogue of the Minerals and Rocks in the Australian Museum and A Short Guide to the Australian Fossil Remains in the Australian Museum.... , 1869	2	0	Ornamental snakes	Central Queensland and central northern New South Wales, Australia.
Drysdalia Drysdalia The Crowned Snakes are a group of snakes belonging to the genus Drysdalia native to parts of southern and eastern Australia. The 4 species in this genus are venomous, but not considered deadly....	Worrell, 1961	3	0	Southeastern grass snakes	Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales).
Echiopsis Echiopsis Echiopsis is a genus of snake in the Elapidae family.It contains the following species:* Lake Cronin Snake * Echiopsis curta...	Fitzinger, 1843	1	0	Bardick	Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales).
Elapognathus	Boulenger, 1896	2	0	Southwestern grass snakes	Western Australia.
Elapsoidea Elapsoidea *Elapsoidea* is a genus of venomous snake elapid snake commonly known as venomous garter snakes or African garter snakes. Despite the name, they are unrelated to the harmless North American garter snake species....	Bocage José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage Jos? Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon.... , 1866	10	7	African or Venomous Garter snakes (unrelated to North American non-venomous Garter Snakes)	Senegal, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Gambia, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Zambia, Kenya, north Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia.
Emydocephalus	Krefft, 1869	2	0	Turtlehead sea snakes	The coasts of Timor (Indonesian sea), New Caledonia, Australia (North Territory, Queensland, West Australia), and in the Southeast Asian Sea along the coasts of China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Ryukyu Island.
Enhydrina	Gray, 1849	2	0	Beaked sea snakes	In the Persian Gulf (Oman, United Arab Emirates, etc.), south to the Seychelles and Madagascar, SE Asian Sea (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam), Australia (North Territory, Queensland), New Guinea and Papua New Guinea.
Ephalophis	M.A. Smith, 1931	1	0	Grey's mudsnake	North-western Australia.
Furina Furina *Furina* is a genus of venomous snake, Elapidae snakes found in Australia. It contains five species of which there are no subspecies....	Duméril André Marie Constant Duméril Andr? Marie Constant Dum?ril was a France zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Mus?um National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology.... , 1853	3	0	Pale-naped snakes	Mainland Australia.
Glyphodon	Günther, 1858	2	0	Brown-headed snakes	Australia (Queensland), New Guinea.
Hemachatus	Fleming John Fleming (naturalist) John Fleming was a Scotland zoologist and geologist.Fleming was the author of The Philosophy of Zoology and A History of British Animals .Fleming also wrote Insecta.... , 1822	1	0	Spitting cobra	South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland.
Hemiaspis	Fitzinger, 1861	2	0	Swamp snakes	Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).
Hemibungarus Hemibungarus *Hemibungarus* is a genus of venomous snake elapid snakes known commonly as Asian coral snakes or oriental coral snakes....	Peters Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a Germany natural history and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter M?ller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum.... , 1862	1	2	Asian coral snakes	Taiwan, Japan (Ryukyu Islands).
Homoroselaps	Jan, 1858	2	0	Harlequin snakes	South Africa.
Hoplocephalus Hoplocephalus *Hoplocephalus* is a genus of snake in the Elapidae family.It contains the following species:* Broad-headed Snake ...	Wagler Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler was a Germany herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826.... , 1830	3	0	Broad-headed snakes	Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).
Hydrelaps	Boulenger, 1896	1	0	Port Darwin mudsnake	Northern Australia, southern New Guinea.
Hydrophis Hydrophis *Hydrophis* is a genus of sea snakes. They are typically found in Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters. Currently, 34 species are recognized....	Latreille Pierre André Latreille Pierre Andr? Latreille was a France entomology. His works describing insects assigned many of the insect taxa still in use today.Latreille was born into a humble family of Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corr?ze, and in 1778 entered the Jean Lemoine in Paris.... In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801	34	3	Sea snakes	Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters.
Kerilia	Gray, 1849	1	0	Jerdon's sea snake	Southeast Asian waters.
Kolpophis Kolpophis *Kolpophis* is a genus of sea snakes of the family Hydrophiidae.See alsoSea snakeHydrophiidae* Kolpophis annandalei...	M.A. Smith, 1926	1	0	Bighead sea snake	Indian Ocean.
Lapemis	Gray, 1835	1	1	Shaw's sea snake	Persian Gulf to Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Indo-Australian archipelago and the western Pacific.
Laticauda Laticauda Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. The laticauda is the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; it retains the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and has only a poorly developed tail fin....	Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti was an Austrian natural history.Laurenti was the author of Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena on the poisonous function of reptiles and amphibians.... , 1768	5	0	Sea kraits	Southeast Asian and Indoaustralian waters.
Leptomicrurus	Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.... , 1937	4	2	Blackback coral snake	Northern South America.
Loveridgelaps	McDowell, 1970	1	0	Solomons small-eyed snake	Solomon Islands.
Micropechis	Boulenger, 1896	1	0	New Guinea small-eyed snake	New Guinea.
Micruroides	Schmidt, 1928	1	2	Western coral snakes	USA (Arizona, SW New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa).
Micrurus	Wagler, 1824	69	54	Coral snakes	southern North America, South America.
Naja Naja *Naja* is a genus of venom elapid snakes. They are the most recognized, and most widespread group of snakes commonly known as cobras, though there are several other genera which also make use of that common name....	Laurenti, 1768	23	3	Cobras	Africa, Asia.
Notechis Notechis Tiger snakes are a type of venomous snake serpent found in southern regions of Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are highly variable in their colour, often banded like those on a tiger, and forms in their regional occurrences....	Boulenger, 1896	2	0	Tiger snakes	Southern Australia, including many offshore islands.
Ogmodon	Peters, 1864	1	0	Bola	Fiji.
Ophiophagus	Günther, 1864	1	0	King cobra	Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, west Malaysia, Philippines.
Oxyuranus	Kinghorn, 1923	2	2	Taipans	Australia, New Guinea.
Parahydrophis	Burger & Natsuno, 1974	1	0	Northern mangrove sea snake	Northern Australia, southern New Guinea.
Paranaja	Loveridge, 1944	1	2	Many-banded snakes	West/central Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Cameroon.
Parapistocalamus	Roux, 1934	1	0	Hediger's snake	Bougainville Island, Solomons.
Paroplocephalus	Keogh, Scott and Scanlon, 2000	1	0	Lake Cronin snake	Western Australia.
Pelamis Pelamis platurus Yellowbelly Sea Snake or Pelagic Sea Snake is a species of Hydrophiidae found in tropical oceanic waters around the world....	Daudin, 1803	1	0	Yellow-bellied sea snake	Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Praescutata viperina	Wall, 1921	1	0	Viperine Sea Snake	Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South Chinese Sea northeast to coastal region of Fujian and Strait of Taiwan.
Pseudechis Pseudechis The genus *Pseudechis* contains the group of Elapidae commonly referred to as the Black Snakes. These snakes are found in every Australia state with the exception of Tasmania and some species are found in Papua New Guinea....	Wagler, 1830	7	0	Black snakes (and king brown)	Australia.
Pseudohaje Pseudohaje *Pseudohaje* is a genus of African Elapidae snakes, commonly called tree cobras or forest cobras. Their common name is derived from an arboreal life history....	Günther, 1858	2	0	Forest cobras	Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria.
Pseudonaja Pseudonaja *Pseudonaja* is a genus of venom elapid snakes native to Australia. Members are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the country; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal Envenomation to a human....	Günther, 1858	8	2	Venomous brown snakes (and dugites)	Australia.
Rhinoplocephalus	Müller, 1885	6	0	Australian Small-eyed snakes	Southern and eastern Australia, southern New Guinea.
Salomonelaps	McDowell, 1970	1	0	Solomons coral snake	Solomon Islands.
Simoselaps	Jan, 1859	13	3	Australian coral snakes	Mainland Australia.
Sinomicrurus (Calliophis) macclellandi	Slowinski et al., 2001	5	4	MacClelland’s (Asian) Coral Snake	India, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan.
Suta	Worrell, 1961	10	2	Hooded snakes (and Curl Snake)	Australia.
Thalassophis	P. Schmidt, 1852	1	0	Anomalous sea snake	South Chinese Sea (Malaysia, Gulf of Thailand), Indian Ocean (Sumatra, Java, Borneo).
Toxicocalamus	Boulenger Boulenger Boulenger is a surname, and may refer to:* George Albert Boulenger , Belgian-British zoologist* Marcel Jacques Boulenger , French fencer... , 1896	9	0	New Guinea Forest snakes	New Guinea (and nearby islands).
Tropidechis	Günther, 1863	2	0	Rough-scaled snake	Eastern Australia.
Vermicella	Gray In Günther, 1858	5	0	Bandy-bandies	Australia.
Walterinnesia	Lataste Fernand Lataste Fernand Lataste was a French zoologist who for example named the Pachyuromys duprasi in 1880. The Vipera latastei Vipera latastei, a Viperidae from Spain, Portugal and North Africa, was named in his honor.... , 1887	2	0	Black desert cobra	Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

*) Not including the nominate subspecies.

Taxonomy

The table above lists all of the elapid genera and no subfamilies. In the past, many subfamilies were recognized, or have been suggested for the Elapidae, including the Elapinae, Hydrophiinae (sea snake

Sea snake

Sea snakes, or seasnakes, are venomous snake Elapidae snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. Though they evolved from terrestrial ancestors, most are extensively adapted to a fully aquatic life and are unable to even move on land, except for the genus Laticauda, which retain ancestral characteristics...
s), Micrurinae (coral snakes), Acanthophiinae (Australian elapids) and the Laticaudinae (sea kraits). Currently, none are universally recognized. There is now good molecular evidence for reciprocal monophyly of two groups: the African, Asian and New World Elapinae, and Australasian and marine Hydrophiinae. Thus, the Australian terrestrial elapids are 'hydrophiines', though not sea snakes, while it is believed that Laticauda

Laticauda

Laticauda is a genus of snakes from the family Hydrophiidae. The laticauda is the least adapted to sea life of all the members of Hydrophiidae; it retains the wide ventral scales typical of terrestrial snakes and has only a poorly developed tail fin....
and the 'true sea snakes' evolved separately from among the Australasian land-snakes. Asian cobras, coral snakes, and American coral snakes also appear to be monophyletic, while African cobras do not.

The type genus

Type genus

In biology, the phrase type genus is used differently depending on the nomenclature Codes that applies:* In ICZN, a type genus is "The nominal genus that is the name-bearing Biological type of a nominal family-group taxon."...
for the Elapidae was originally Elaps, but that group was moved to another family. In contrast to what usually happens in botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology and is the Scientific method of plant life and development....
, the Elapidae family was not renamed. In the meantime, Elaps was renamed Homoroselaps and moved back to the Elapidae. However, Nagy et al. 2005 regard it as a sister taxon to Atractaspis
Atractaspis

Atractaspis is a genus of venomous snakes found in Africa. Currently, 15 species are recognized....
which should therefore have been assigned to the Atractaspididae
Atractaspididae

The Atractaspididae are a Family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genus are recognized....
.

Elapidae

Description

Geographic range

Venom

Genera

Taxonomy

See also