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. Some recent molecular studies have suggested that the genus Boulengerina should be synonymised with Naja, because the water cobras are closely related to some species of Naja ^[1]

Species

• Ringed Water Cobra, Boulengerina annulata (Buchholz & Peters, 1876)
• Christy's Water Cobra, Boulengerina christyi (Boulenger, 1904) -

Geographic distribution

• B. annulata - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Burundi, and Zambia.
• B. christyi - Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo.

See also

• False water cobra, Hydrodynastes gigas

References

1. ^ Nagy, Z.T., Vidal, N., Vences, M., Branch, W.R., Pauwels, O.S.G., Wink, M., Joger, U., 2005. Molecular systematics of African Colubroidea (Squamata: Serpentes). In: Huber, B.A., Sinclair, B.J., Lampe, K.-H. (Eds.), African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems. Museum Koenig, Bonn, pp. 221–228.

External links

• Genus Boulengerina at The Reptile Database