Bungarus andamanensis
Bungarus andamanensis, the South Andaman krait, is a species of krait, a venomous elapid snake, which is found in the Andaman Islands of India. It was first described by Biswas and Sanyal in 1978.
Description
The Andaman krait is a medium-sized snake, growing up to in length. Its body is cylindrical, and the head is slightly broader than the neck. The eyes are small and entirely black with round pupils.Scalation
Dorsal scales: Smooth, arranged in 15:15:15 rows, with vertebral scales strongly enlarged.Head scales: Internasals shorter than prefrontal scales. No loreal scale; the preocular scale contacts the posterior nasal. Two postocular scales, with temporal scales arranged in 1+2 configuration.Labial scales: 7 supralabials and 7 infralabials.Ventrals and subcaudals: 192–200 ventral scales and 40–47 entire subcaudal scales. The tail ends with a thick blunt point, and the anal plate is entire.Coloration
The body is glossy black or brownish, often with blue iridescence. It features 39–47 narrow yellow or white equidistant cross-bars on the body and 9–13 on the tail, with the bands widening toward the belly. The underside is yellowish-cream with irregular black or brown spots, and the tail often has distinct brownish spots. The lips are yellowish. Juveniles display vibrant yellow cross-bars and a distinct "^"-shaped marking near the head.Distribution and habitat
The Andaman krait is endemic to the Andaman Islands and Little Andaman Islands in India. It inhabits a variety of environments, including:- Paddy fields
- Low bushes on mountains and coastal areas
- Mangroves
- Freshwater streams