Redescription of the type specimen of Naja (Hamadryas ?) fasciata Peters, 1861, a junior synonym of Hemibungarus calligaster calligaster (Wiegmann, 1834) (Reptilia, Squamata, Elapidae)

• Published in: Zoosystematics and Evolution Vol. 83; no. S1; pp. 52 - 55
• Main Authors: Kucharzewski, Christoph, Tillack, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.04.2007; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: 1834; 1861; Elapidae; junior subjective synonym of Hemibungarus calligaster calligaster (Wiegmann; junior subjective synonym of Hemibungarus calligaster calligaster (Wiegmann, 1834); morphology; Naja (Hamadryas ?) fasciata Peters; Naja (Hamadryas ?) fasciata Peters, 1861; Philippines; Reptilia; Samar island; Squamata
• ISSN: 1435-1935; 1860-0743
• DOI: 10.1002/mmnz.200600026

We report on the rediscovery of the previously unlocated single type specimen of Naja (Hamadryas ?) fasciata Peters, 1861 from the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt‐Universität Berlin, Germany (formerly Zoologisches Museum Berlin), review its taxonomic history, and provide a redescription of the specimen. Morphological examination revealed that it is not a member of Naja or Ophiophagus, but belongs to the endemic Philippine elapid genus Hemibungarus. The juvenile snake most closely resembles juveniles of Hemibungarus calligaster calligaster (Wiegmann, 1834) in characters of its external phenotype, and is therefore referred to the synonymy of the latter. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)