Naja nana is classified under the genusNaja of the familyElapidae. It was first described by Collet and Trape in 2020 with two specimens from Lac Mai-Ndombe in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The generic name Naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá (नाग), meaning "cobra". The specific epithet nana is Latin nanus, feminine nana, in reference to its small size, up to only about 1 m (3.3 ft), unlike Naja annulata and Naja christyi, the two other African species of semiaquatic Naja species, the first of which can reach lengths up to 2.8 m (9.2 ft).[2]
Type and distribution
Holotype: MNHN-RA 2019.0042 collected in 2017 in by a fisherman from Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Paratypes: MNHN 2019.0043-0049, SDC NN.08-10 (10 specimens), collected in 2017 by fishermen from Lake Maï-Ndombe near Bokebeni and neighboring villages.
Description
With only two specimens available, dissection was not attempted, so the first and second characters of Vidian canal position and number of solid maxillary teeth were not checked. However, there are at least three solid teeth on the right maxilla of the female and the fangs are not modified for spitting. The specimens have the 6th or penultimate upper labial high, one preocular, rostral much broader than deep, internasals shorter than the prefrontals and dorsal scales are highly polished. The male specimen has one anterior temporal, however, the female has the 6th upper labial fused with the anterior temporal and lower second temporal on both sides. Abnormal fused head shields were observed in some species.[3]Naja nana belongs to the genus Naja by its characteristic posture of defense and its cephalic scaling including in particular the absence of loreal. It is characterized by the following combination of characters: (1) a predominantly aquatic way of life and the straight row arrangement of the dorsal scales, which distinguishes it from all other species of the genus Naja except Naja annulata and Naja christyi and places it in the Boulengerina subgenus; (2) a small size, at most about one meter, which distinguishes it from Naja annulata and Naja christyi whose length reaches more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft); (3) a specific dorsal and ventral coloration, with the back of a black color more or less studded with small white or yellowish spots, the abdomen mostly whitish with each ventral scale more or less bordered posteriorly with black and the underside of the tail black, while Naja annulata is light brown with dark rings and Naja christyi is dark brown with transverse yellow lines to the front of the body and neither of these two species shows a ventral coloration similar to that of Naja nana; (4) usually 19 rows of mid-length dorsal scales (rarely 17 or 18 in males and 18, 20 or 21 in females), instead of 17 in Naja christyi and 21 to 25 in Naja annulata; and (5) from 186 to 209 ventral, including 186 to 202 in males and 192 to 209 in females, instead of 206 to 221 in Naja christyi and 192 to 226 in Naja annulata.[1]
In the Boulengerina subgenus, Naja nana is easily distinguished from Naja multifasciata which has 15 to 17 rows of dorsals, 153 to 175 ventral and 30 to 39 subcaudals,[4] instead of 19 to 21, 186 to 209 and 64 to 76 respectively at Naja nana. The five species of the 'Naja melanoleuca complex' are very distinct, in particular by the oblique arrangement of their dorsal scales (straight in Naja nana) as well as by their much less aquatic way of life. The Dwarf water cobra (Naja nana), on the other hand, is very similar to Ringed water cobra (Naja annulata) and Congo water cobra (Naja christyi) by its morphology and its exclusively piscivorous diet. It is distinguished from these two species by the following characteristics: (1) a significantly smaller size, almost always less than one meter, with a maximum of 102 centimetres (3.35 ft) instead of the maximum lengths of around 280 centimetres (9.2 ft) in Naja annulata;[2] (2) a specific coloration, especially dorsal, black spotted with white, instead of light brown with black rings all along the body in Naja annulata (or only on part of the body in the subspecies N. a. Stormsi (Dollo, 1886) from Lake Tanganyika), and uniformly dark brown with a few light beige transverse lines on the front of the body in Naja christyi; (3) a different number of rows of dorsal to mid-body scales, usually 19 in Naja nana sp. Nov. (rarely 17 in males and 21 in females) instead of 17 in Naja christyi and 21 to 25 in Naja annulata; (4) a different number of ventral scales, from 186 to 209 in Naja nana (186 - 202 in males and 192 - 209 in females), instead of 206 to 221 in Naja christyi and 192 to 226 in Naja annulata.[2][4]
Size
LR2896 (male): snout-vent 777 millimetres (77.7 cm); tail 197 millimetres (19.7 cm); total = 974 millimetres (97.4 cm). Tail length is 20.23% of total length. Total length/tail length = 4.94 within the range of the male paratypes). LR2895 (female): snout-vent 960 millimetres (96 cm) (the longest female paratype 930 millimetres (93 cm)); tail 237 millimetres (23.7 cm) (the longest female paratype 174 millimetres (17.4 cm)); total = 1,107 millimetres (110.7 cm) (the longest female paratype 930 millimetres (93 cm)). Tail length is 21.41% of total length (total length/tail length = 5.05 - slightly lower than the range of the female paratypes).
Behaviour in captivity
A slim Naja species, they will swim and climb, but seem to prefer a terrestrial habitat, although it will hunt and defecate in water where possible. The acclimatization process for wild-caught specimens is critical to the captive success of the species, as the general quality of the health of the animals from the Congo is highly variable and most of the imported samples come in to the importer in very poor condition. Specimens surviving the initial acclimatization process will readily take fish from early on in captive care. Once acclimatized, many captive specimens have been converted onto a mainly rodent-based diet - however it is unknown if this will have an effect on the long-term health of the specimens, and therefore a varied diet is recommended. One case of cannibalism of a conspecific snake is known. Captive breeding of this species has been successful within Europe, with multiple reports of captive breeding and incubation with varied success with neonate survival. The eggs were relatively large, elongate, approximately 70 x 24 mm (estimated from a photograph of an egg next to a tape measure). Incubation at 29 °C (84 °F) was exactly 70 days (laid June 17, first hatching August 26).[5]
References
^ abUetz, P; Hallermann, J. "Naja nana COLLET & TRAPE, 2020". Reptile Database. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
^ abcSpaw;s, S; Howell, K; Hinkel, H; Menegon, M (27 March 2018). A Field Guide to East African Reptiles (2 ed.). London: Bloomsbury Natural History. p. 624. ISBN978-1472935618. Retrieved 31 October 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Trape, J.F; Collet, M (2020). . Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France. 173: 41–52. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
^ abChippaux, J.P; Jackson, K (18 June 2019). Snakes of Central and Western Africa. United States: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 448. ISBN978-1421427195.
^Raw, LR; Deacon, R (27 June 2021). "Two additional specimens of Naja (Boulengerina) nana (Serpentes: Elapidae) with notes on captive husbandry and behaviour". Occasional Papers in Zoology. 9: 1–8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5103417. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
January 07, 2023
dwarf, water, cobra, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, require, copy, editing, grammar, style, cohesion, tone, spelling, assist, editing, 2022, lear. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This may require copy editing for grammar style cohesion tone or spelling You can assist by editing it May 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy May 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The dwarf water cobra Naja nana is a small venomous species of cobra found in the Democratic Republic of Congo Katanga The dwarf water cobra is part of the subgenus Boulengerina which includes related species such as Naja annulata Naja christyi and Naja melanoleuca Dwarf water cobraScientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuborder SerpentesFamily ElapidaeGenus NajaSubgenus BoulengerinaSpecies N nanaBinomial nameNaja nanaCollet amp Trape 2020 1 Distribution of the dwarf water cobra Contents 1 Taxonomy 1 1 Type and distribution 2 Description 2 1 Size 3 Behaviour in captivity 4 ReferencesTaxonomy EditNaja nana is classified under the genus Naja of the family Elapidae It was first described by Collet and Trape in 2020 with two specimens from Lac Mai Ndombe in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo The generic name Naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word naga न ग meaning cobra The specific epithet nana is Latin nanus feminine nana in reference to its small size up to only about 1 m 3 3 ft unlike Naja annulata and Naja christyi the two other African species of semiaquatic Naja species the first of which can reach lengths up to 2 8 m 9 2 ft 2 Type and distribution Edit Holotype MNHN RA 2019 0042 collected in 2017 in by a fisherman from Lake Mai Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo Paratypes MNHN 2019 0043 0049 SDC NN 08 10 10 specimens collected in 2017 by fishermen from Lake Mai Ndombe near Bokebeni and neighboring villages Description EditWith only two specimens available dissection was not attempted so the first and second characters of Vidian canal position and number of solid maxillary teeth were not checked However there are at least three solid teeth on the right maxilla of the female and the fangs are not modified for spitting The specimens have the 6th or penultimate upper labial high one preocular rostral much broader than deep internasals shorter than the prefrontals and dorsal scales are highly polished The male specimen has one anterior temporal however the female has the 6th upper labial fused with the anterior temporal and lower second temporal on both sides Abnormal fused head shields were observed in some species 3 Naja nana belongs to the genus Naja by its characteristic posture of defense and its cephalic scaling including in particular the absence of loreal It is characterized by the following combination of characters 1 a predominantly aquatic way of life and the straight row arrangement of the dorsal scales which distinguishes it from all other species of the genus Naja except Naja annulata and Naja christyi and places it in the Boulengerina subgenus 2 a small size at most about one meter which distinguishes it from Naja annulata and Naja christyi whose length reaches more than 2 5 m 8 2 ft 3 a specific dorsal and ventral coloration with the back of a black color more or less studded with small white or yellowish spots the abdomen mostly whitish with each ventral scale more or less bordered posteriorly with black and the underside of the tail black while Naja annulata is light brown with dark rings and Naja christyi is dark brown with transverse yellow lines to the front of the body and neither of these two species shows a ventral coloration similar to that of Naja nana 4 usually 19 rows of mid length dorsal scales rarely 17 or 18 in males and 18 20 or 21 in females instead of 17 in Naja christyi and 21 to 25 in Naja annulata and 5 from 186 to 209 ventral including 186 to 202 in males and 192 to 209 in females instead of 206 to 221 in Naja christyi and 192 to 226 in Naja annulata 1 In the Boulengerina subgenus Naja nana is easily distinguished from Naja multifasciata which has 15 to 17 rows of dorsals 153 to 175 ventral and 30 to 39 subcaudals 4 instead of 19 to 21 186 to 209 and 64 to 76 respectively at Naja nana The five species of the Naja melanoleuca complex are very distinct in particular by the oblique arrangement of their dorsal scales straight in Naja nana as well as by their much less aquatic way of life The Dwarf water cobra Naja nana on the other hand is very similar to Ringed water cobra Naja annulata and Congo water cobra Naja christyi by its morphology and its exclusively piscivorous diet It is distinguished from these two species by the following characteristics 1 a significantly smaller size almost always less than one meter with a maximum of 102 centimetres 3 35 ft instead of the maximum lengths of around 280 centimetres 9 2 ft in Naja annulata 2 2 a specific coloration especially dorsal black spotted with white instead of light brown with black rings all along the body in Naja annulata or only on part of the body in the subspecies N a Stormsi Dollo 1886 from Lake Tanganyika and uniformly dark brown with a few light beige transverse lines on the front of the body in Naja christyi 3 a different number of rows of dorsal to mid body scales usually 19 in Naja nana sp Nov rarely 17 in males and 21 in females instead of 17 in Naja christyi and 21 to 25 in Naja annulata 4 a different number of ventral scales from 186 to 209 in Naja nana 186 202 in males and 192 209 in females instead of 206 to 221 in Naja christyi and 192 to 226 in Naja annulata 2 4 Size Edit LR2896 male snout vent 777 millimetres 77 7 cm tail 197 millimetres 19 7 cm total 974 millimetres 97 4 cm Tail length is 20 23 of total length Total length tail length 4 94 within the range of the male paratypes LR2895 female snout vent 960 millimetres 96 cm the longest female paratype 930 millimetres 93 cm tail 237 millimetres 23 7 cm the longest female paratype 174 millimetres 17 4 cm total 1 107 millimetres 110 7 cm the longest female paratype 930 millimetres 93 cm Tail length is 21 41 of total length total length tail length 5 05 slightly lower than the range of the female paratypes Behaviour in captivity EditA slim Naja species they will swim and climb but seem to prefer a terrestrial habitat although it will hunt and defecate in water where possible The acclimatization process for wild caught specimens is critical to the captive success of the species as the general quality of the health of the animals from the Congo is highly variable and most of the imported samples come in to the importer in very poor condition Specimens surviving the initial acclimatization process will readily take fish from early on in captive care Once acclimatized many captive specimens have been converted onto a mainly rodent based diet however it is unknown if this will have an effect on the long term health of the specimens and therefore a varied diet is recommended One case of cannibalism of a conspecific snake is known Captive breeding of this species has been successful within Europe with multiple reports of captive breeding and incubation with varied success with neonate survival The eggs were relatively large elongate approximately 70 x 24 mm estimated from a photograph of an egg next to a tape measure Incubation at 29 C 84 F was exactly 70 days laid June 17 first hatching August 26 5 References Edit a b Uetz P Hallermann J Naja nana COLLET amp TRAPE 2020 Reptile Database Retrieved 31 October 2021 a b c Spaw s S Howell K Hinkel H Menegon M 27 March 2018 A Field Guide to East African Reptiles 2 ed London Bloomsbury Natural History p 624 ISBN 978 1472935618 Retrieved 31 October 2021 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Trape J F Collet M 2020 A new and remarkable species of semi aquatic naja Elapidae subgenus Boulengerina Dollo 1886 from the Democratic Republic of Congo Bulletin de la Societe Herpetologique de France 173 41 52 Archived from the original on 8 March 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2021 a b Chippaux J P Jackson K 18 June 2019 Snakes of Central and Western Africa United States Johns Hopkins University Press p 448 ISBN 978 1421427195 Raw LR Deacon R 27 June 2021 Two additional specimens of Naja Boulengerina nana Serpentes Elapidae with notes on captive husbandry and behaviour Occasional Papers in Zoology 9 1 8 doi 10 5281 zenodo 5103417 Retrieved 31 October 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dwarf water cobra amp oldid 1123222890, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
