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Monocled Cobra Naja kaouthia is a species of snake. Diagnostic Characters: Body scales smooth, arranged in 19-21 (usually 21) longitudinal rows at mid-body; throat pale, scarcely any dark mottling, often followed by a single dark band, ventrolateral throat spots distinct; remainder of venter either pale or increasingly cloudy with darker pigmentation towards the rear; in adults, hood markings usually distinct, usually a pale, oval or circular marking, with a dark center and occasionally a narrow dark outer border; occasionally 1 or 2 dark spots are present in the pale oval; fangs not modified for spitting, venom discharge orifice large; ventrals 164-196; subcaudals 43-58. Total length 1500 mm; tail length 230 mm (according to Smith [1943:429] larger specimens have been recorded, but they are rare). Distribution:Bangladesh, Myanmar (= Burma), Cambodia, NE India, Laos, N Malaysia, Nepal (?), S China, Thailand, S Vietnam
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[edit] References
- Wüster, Wolfgang 1993 A century of confusion: Asiatic cobras revisited Vivarium 4 (4): 14-18
- Cox, Merel J. 1995 Naja kaouthia Herpetological Review 26 (3): 156-157
- Kyi, SAi Wunna & George R. Zug 2003 Unusual foraging behaviour of Naja kaouthia at the Moyingye Wetlands Bird Sanctuary, Myanmar. Hamadryad 27 (2): 265-266
- Wüster,W.; Thorpe,R.S. 1991 Asiatic cobras: Systematics and snakebite. Experientia 47: 205-209
- Wüster,W.; Thorpe,R.S.; Cox,M.J.; Jintakune,P.; Nabhitabhata,J. 1995 Populuation systematics of the snake genus Naja (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae) in Indochina: Multivariate morphometrics and comparative mitochondrial DNA sequencing (cytochrome oxidase I). J. Evol. Biol. 8: 493-510
- Wüster,W. 1996 Taxonomic changes and toxinology: Systematic revisions of the asiatic cobras (Naja naja complex). Toxicon 34 (4): 399-406
- Wüster, Wolfgang 1998 The cobras of the genus Naja in India Hamadryad 23 (1): 15-32
