Lesser black krait explained

The lesser black krait (Bungarus lividus) is a species of venomous elapid snake found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.^{[1] [2]} The specific epithet is after Latin lividus, meaning “bluish metal-colored” or “lead-colored”, referring to the snake's coloration.

Description

The Lesser black krait is a rather small sized snake. The body (dorsum) is smooth and black to bluish-black in colour. The upper lip is white. The ventrals are white with grey edges.The eyes are small, black with round pupils. Eyes are positioned more towards the snout.The scales are arranged in 15 dorsal rows (15:15:15). The mid-dorsal (vertebral) scales are only slightly enlarged than the other rows. Anal and subcaudal scales are undivided. 7 supralabials(3rd & 4th touches eye), 7 infralabials(3rd touches anterior genial); Temporals 1+2; Postocular 2.^[3]

Distribution

India(North Bengal, Northeast India), Bangladesh, Nepal^[4]

Type locality: Assam, India

Ecology

Feeding

The krait is primarily ophiophagous, meaning it preys on other snakes.

Further reading

• Boulenger, G.A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis. London. xviii, 541 pp.
• Cantor, T.E. 1839. Spicilegium serpentium indicorum [parts 1 and 2]. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 7: 31–34, 49–55.
• Slowinski, J. B. 1994. A phylogenetic analysis of Bungarus (Elapidae) based on morphological characters. Journal of Herpetology 28(4):440-446.

Notes and References

1. Book: Harding, K.A. . Welch . K.R.G. . Venomous Snakes of the World: A Checklist . Pergamon Press . Toxicon: Supplement . 1980 . 978-0-08-025495-1 . 9 June 2019 . 8.
2. Web site: Lesser Black Krait (Bungarus lividus Cantor, 1839) . indiansnakes.org . 8 May 2019.
3. Das, Abhijit 2018. Notes on Snakes of the Genus Bungarus (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Northeast India. in: C. Sivaperuman, K. Venkataraman (eds.), Indian Hotspots, Springer
4. News: Small, secretive & highly venomous snake seen for first time in Nepal’s hills . Mongabay . 1 February 2024 . 19 March 2024.