| greater black krait | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Bungarus |
| Species: | B. niger |
| Binomial name | |
| Bungarus niger Wall, 1908 |
|
The greater black krait (Bungarus niger) is a species of krait, a venomous elapid snake.
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It is found in India mainly along the sub-Himalayas from Uttaranchal in the west to Arunachal Pradesh and beyond India in the east. The species was described by Frank Wall from a specimen obtained from near Tindharia near Darjeeling.
It is syntopic with the lesser black krait (Bungarus lividus) but can be separated by the enlarged dorsal vertebral scales. The number of ventral and subcaudals are higher than in all other Bungarus species. (216-231 ventrals and 47-57 subcaudals).[1]