The kraits in the genus Bungarus, are venomous elapid snakes which inhabit the Asian subcontinent. Most members of the genus are poorly studied, However, recent study on the diversification and evolution of elapid snakes suggests kraits evolved 30–25 million years ago, and are close relative of other Australasian elapid genera and the sea snakes (Lee et al. 2016). The banded krait, Bungarus fasciatus (Schneider, 1801) is nocturnal, reaches 2.250 m in total length and is characterized by its yellow (or cream) and black banded body. It occurs in primary forests, agricultural land, and home gardens up to 2,300 m above sea level. To date, B. fasciatus has been reported from eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, extending southwards through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore eastward into the Indonesian archipelago, and Laos, Vietnam and China. The species is currently listed as a species of Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red List. Despite its wide distribution, studies have so far focused on its potential medical significance, ecological importance, and venom chemistry.
In a preliminary report, Biakzuala et al. (2022) used four mitochondrial genes, analized the phylogeny of this species and reveal the existence of at least three evolutionary lineages within B. fasciatus. Geographically the lineages correspond to Indo-Myanmar, Sundaic and eastern Asian lineages. In the paper the authors designate a neotype and restrict the distribution of B. fasciatus to the Indo-Myanmar region. They also provide additional natural history data of the taxon from eastern India.
Biakzuala L, Lalremsanga HT, Santra V, Dhara A, Ahmed MT, Mallick ZB, Kuttalam S, Malhotra A. 2022. Black and white: Molecular phylogeny reveals distinct evolutionary lineages of the Banded Krait, Bungarus fasciatus (Squamata: Elapidae) in Asia. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1974845/v1
