Bungarus candidus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Nguyen, Tan Van, Brakels, Peter, Maury, Nathanael, Sudavanh, Somchit, Pawangkhanant, Parinya, Idiiatullina, Sabira, Lorphengsy, Sengvilay, Inkhavilay, Khamla, Suwannapoom, Chatmongkon & Poyarkov, Nikolay A., 2020, New herpetofaunal observations from Laos based on photo records, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 248) 14 (2), pp. 218-249 : 236-237

Bungarus candidus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Blue Krait ( Fig. 9A )

One adult individual of B. candidus was observed by N. Maury on 16 July 2017 in Keo Oudom District , Vientiane Province (18°31.223’N, 18°31.223’N; elevation 260 m asl) . One adult individual was found by N. Maury and P. Brakels on 26 October 2019 in Phou Xiang Thong NPA, Khongxedone District , Salavan Province (15°27.178’N, 105°44.202’N; elevation 320 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individuals from Vientiane and Salavan provinces agreed well with the descriptions of Smith (1943), Nguyen et al. (2017), and Xie et al. (2018). The photographed individual ( Fig. 9A ) agrees with the diagnosis of B. candidus in the following characters: large body size, robust body habitus; head faintly distinct from neck; eye small, pupil round; loreal absent; 1 preocular; 2 postoculars; 1 anterior temporals; 2 posterior temporals; 7 supralabials, 1 st and 2 nd in contact with the nasal 2 nd and 3 rd in contact with the preocular, 3 rd –4 th entering orbit, 5 th and 6 th largest; dorsal scale rows entirely smooth; anterior vertebral scales notably enlarged; ventrals 226; cloacal scale undivided; subcaudals 54, undivided. Coloration of dorsum black with 20 broad white cross-bands on body in which five of them are yellowish and five on tail; ventral surface uniform white.

Ecological notes. The individual from Vientiane Province was found at 1900 h crossing the road under light rain. The surrounding habitat was disturbed secondary dry mixed evergreen hill forest. The individual from Salavan Province was found ca. 2100 h moving between the large boulders in the bed of a wide stream in the vicinity of a waterfall. The surrounding habitat was open riparian vegetation with bamboo thickets and mixed dry forest on the banks.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded only from Champasak Province ( Teynié and David 2010) and Khammouan Province ( Stuart 1998; Luu 2017). These are the first records from north-western Laos (Vientiane Province) and Salavan Province. Moreover, this species is known to occur in Savannakhet Province as well, based on snake bite records from the provincial hospital ( Vongphoumy et al. 2015, 2016). A recent record was reported in the local news of a Blue Krait that supposedly killed a woman in Xayphouthong District, Savannakhet Province, in October 2019. Elsewhere, this species has been reported from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia ( Uetz et al. 2020).

Figures

Fig. 9. (A) Bungarus candidus in Khongxedone District, Salavan Province; (B) Subsessor bocourti in Champhone District, Savannakhet Province; (C) Pareas carinatus in Keo Oudom District, Vientiane Province; (D) P. hamptoni in Longcheng District, Xaisomboun Province. Photos by P. Brakels (A–C) and P. Pawangkhanant (D).