Walterinnesia aegyptia Lataste, 1887 (Ophidia: Elapidae) and the Status of Naja morgani Mocquard 1905

Göran Nilson, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani

Abstract


We separate the eastern populations of Walterinnesia in Iran, Iraq and eastern Saudi Arabia under the name Walterinnesia morgani. This taxon is easily separated from Walterinnesia aegyptia in Egypt, Israel, western Saudi Arabia, and Jordan by a significantly lower number of anterior dorsal scale rows. Walterinnesia morgani is also having on average a lower number of ventrals, subcaudals, and united subcaudals, as well as a completely different juvenile color pattern, consisting of 25 to 33 reddish crossbars on an otherwise black body. In Walterinnesia aegyptia the juvenile dorsal color is black without any pattern.

Keywords


Reptilia; Serpentes Elapidae; Bungarinae; Walterinnesia aegyptia; Walterinnesia morgani; taxonomy; Iran

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2007-14-1-7-14

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