taxonID	type	description	language	source
DF7A577E284A6A12FF4B1C7EC192E9BE.taxon	materials_examined	Type species: Naja lutescens Laurenti, 1768 (= Coluber naja Linnaeus, 1758), by subsequent designation (Leviton, 1968). Gender: feminine.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284A6A12FF4B1C7EC192E9BE.taxon	etymology	Etymology: derived from the Sinhala Naya, cobra.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284A6A12FF4B1C7EC192E9BE.taxon	distribution	Distribution: southern and south-eastern Asia and the East Indies, from Transcaspia to the Philippines and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Content: eleven species:	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284A6A12FF4B1C7EC192E9BE.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Extracranial (ventral) anterior Vidian canal position, 0 – 1 solid maxillary teeth in all species (Wüster, 1990 — only 6 out of 650 specimens examined in that study had 2 solid maxillary teeth), seven supralabials with penultimate (sixth) shield low, combination of single preocular and two (occasionally three) anterior temporals, rostral broader than deep; internasals shorter than prefrontals; fang structure variable, all species except N. naja and N. oxiana have some degree of adaptation to spitting (Wüster & Thorpe, 1992 b). We tentatively include the extinct † Naja (Naja) romani (Hofstetter, 1939) in this subgenus based on the shared derived condition of the basisphenoid morphology and the vestibular window, despite the possession of two solid maxillary teeth (Szyndlar & Rage, 1990).	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284A6A12FF4B1C7EC192E9BE.taxon	discussion	Comments: this is a morphologically relatively conserved, but ecologically highly adaptable subgenus that appears to be the result of a single colonization event of Asia from an African origin (Slowinski & Wüster, 2000; Wüster et al., 2007; Wüster, unpublished data). The issue of the type species of Naja has a complex background. Laurenti’s (1768) Naja was based upon six species from Seba (1734 – 1735), all of which Linnaeus (1758) included in his synonymy of Coluber naja (in addition to 1735: pl. 85, fig. 1 and 1735: pl. 94, fig. 1): N. brasiliensis (1735: pl. 89, fig. 4) = Naja naja, N. fasciata (1735: pl. 89, fig. 3) = Naja naja, N. lutescens (1734: pl. 44, fig. 1) = Naja naja, N. maculata (1735: pl. 90, fig. 2) = Naja naja, N. non Naja (1735: pl. 90, fig. 1) = Naja kaouthia, and N. siamensis (1735: pl. 89, figs. 1 – 2) = Naja siamensis. Naja naja (Linnaeus) has been considered the type species of Naja by tautonymy, monotypy, and subsequent designation of Stejneger (1936: 140), M. Smith (1943: 426), Oshima (1944: 204), and others. However, David & Vogel (1996: 146) suggested that those assumptions were incorrect and that the only valid type species designation was that of Williams & Wallach (1989: 97), who selected Naja lutescens. However, Leviton (1968: 547) designated Naja lutescens Laurenti (= Coluber naja Linnaeus) as the type species of Naja Laurenti and several earlier nomenclatural acts precede this action. Cantor (1847: 1038) could be considered the first revisor as he synonymized Naja lutescens with Coluber naja Linnaeus. Deraniyagala (1945: 108 – 109) then restricted the name Naja lutescens to the race of cobras inhabiting India south of 20 ° N Latitude. The type locality of Seba’s (1735) pl. 44, fig. 1 was given as “ India Orientali. ” Deraniyagala (1945) recognized Naja naja lutescens as a subspecies and designated the type locality as Madras, with N. fasciata and N. maculata as synonyms.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	materials_examined	Type species: Boulengerina stormsi Dollo, 1886 (= Naja annulata Buchholz & Peters in Peters, 1876), by monotypy. Gender: feminine.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	etymology	Etymology: dedicated to George Albert Boulenger, famous Belgian herpetologist, and curator of reptiles at the British Museum (Natural History) in London from 1881 to 1920.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	distribution	Distribution: forested regions of western, central, eastern and south-eastern Africa. Content: four species:	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	description	Naja (Boulengerina) annulata Buchholz & Peters in Peters, 1876: 119	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Intracranial (dorsal) anterior Vidian canal position, 2 – 4 solid maxillary teeth, penultimate (sixth) supralabial high, combination of one preocular and one anterior temporal (except N. christyi, which sometimes has two anterior temporals), rostral much broader than deep, internasals shorter than prefrontals, dorsal scales highly polished, fangs not modified for spitting.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A10FF4B1FC6C28FEEA5.taxon	discussion	Comments: This subgenus is morphologically and ecologically highly diverse, including species at both the large (Naja melanoleuca) and small (Naja multifasciata) extremes of the size spectrum of the cobra clade, and semi-fossorial, terrestrial and aquatic forms. However, they are united by their restriction to forest and forest edge habitats, and their distribution is centred on the central African forests, with only N. melanoleuca extending significantly into West and East Africa.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A13FF4B1BD1C42EEA7D.taxon	materials_examined	Type species: Coluber haje Linnaeus, 1758, by monotypy. Gender: masculine.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A13FF4B1BD1C42EEA7D.taxon	etymology	Etymology: derived from the Egyptian uraeus, a symbol of the goddess Wadjet in the shape of a cobra with a spread hood, which formed part of the head-dress of Egyptian divinities and kings.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A13FF4B1BD1C42EEA7D.taxon	distribution	Distribution: open formations in most of Africa and southern Arabia. Content: six species:	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A13FF4B1BD1C42EEA7D.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Intracranial (dorsal) anterior Vidian canal position, almost always 2 – 3 solid maxillary teeth (one specimen out of 21 examined by Bogert [1943] and Szyndlar & Rage [1990] had one solid maxillary tooth on each side), seven supralabials with penultimate (sixth) shield high, combination of one preocular and one anterior temporal, rostral as broad as deep, internasals as long as prefrontals, dorsal scales matt or moderately shiny, and fangs not adapted for spitting.	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
DF7A577E284C6A13FF4B1BD1C42EEA7D.taxon	discussion	Comments: This is a morphologically relatively conserved lineage that occupies open formations in much of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The most basal cladogenic split separates Naja (Uraeus) nivea, a species largely restricted to southern African areas with winter rainfall, from the remaining species, which occupy primarily tropical or subtropical formations (Wüster et al., 2007).	en	Wallach, Van, Wüster, Wolfgang, Broadley, Donald G. (2009): In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190422
