Walterinnesia aegyptia

{{Speciesbox

| image = Black_snake_IMG.jpg

| image_caption = Walterinnesia aegyptia

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author1=Amr, Z.S.S. |author2=Al Johany, A.M.H. |author3=Egan, D.M. |author4=Baha El Din, S. |author5=Ugurtas, I.H. |author6=Werner, Y.L. |author7=Disi, A.M. |author8=Tok, V. |author9=Sevinç, M. |date=2012 |errata=2017 |title=Walterinnesia aegyptia |page=e.T164671A115304177 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T164671A1066007.en |access-date=21 February 2022}}

| genus = Walterinnesia

| species = aegyptia

| authority = Lataste, 1887

| range_map =

| synonyms =

}}

Walterinnesia aegyptia, also known as the desert cobra or desert black snake, is a species of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae that is native to the Middle East. The specific epithet aegyptia (“of Egypt”) refers to part of its geographic range.{{cite web |url= https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Walterinnesia&species=aegyptia|title= Walterinnesia aegyptia LATASTE, 1887|author= |date= |website= Reptile Database |publisher= Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann |access-date= 2 June 2021}}

Description and behaviour

(See the article on the genus at Walterinnesia)

Distribution

The range of the species encompasses southern Israel, north-western Saudi Arabia, western Jordan, Iraq, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and possibly Lebanon. The type locality is Cairo, where the type specimen was purchased.

Venom

The desert cobra is highly venomous. The subcutaneous {{LD50}} for the venom of W. aegyptia is 0.4 mg/kg. For comparison, the Indian cobra's (Naja naja) subcutaneous {{LD50}} is 0.80 mg/kg, while the Cape cobra's (Naja nivea) subcutaneous {{LD50}} is 0.72 mg/kg. This makes the desert black snake a more venomous snake than both.{{Cite web |url=http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html |title=LD50 Menu |access-date=2011-10-11 |archive-date=2012-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201062634/http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html |url-status=dead }} Venom toxins of the desert cobra are similar to those of the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), indicating a close relationship.

Like many elapid snakes, the venom is primarily neurotoxic and the effects of envenenomation are due to systemic circulation of the toxins rather than from local effects on tissue near the site of injection.Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson J, Loscalzo J (editors) (2012). Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. 4,012 pp. {{ISBN|978-0071748896}}.

References

aegyptia

Category:Reptiles of the Middle East

Category:Taxa named by Fernand Lataste

Category:Reptiles described in 1887