Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836)

(Fig. 8E, 12C)

Material studied: Two adults, CIARI uncatalogued 1-2, from Sippighat, South Andaman (Fig. 5A).

Morphology: Dorsal scales smooth, in 17:15:13/14 rows; ventrals 241–244; subcaudals 9–14 entire, 44–74 divided; anal single; preocular 1; postoculars 3; loreal absent; temporals 2+3. Adults normally uniform golden yellow to orange, with the banded regions having a thick black outline.

Distribution: Three adults, one from Wandoor, one from Chidiyatapu and the other from Chakkargao and a subadult from Brookshabad were recorded at Port Blair, South Andaman. All but one of these individuals were recorded from human habitation with the exception of a large (~ 8-9 ft long) adult male from Chidiyatapu, which was observed in the middle of a road passing through dense evergreen forests. A juvenile was seen in Long Island in evergreen forests.

Status: Common and widespread in the Andaman Islands and also throughout most parts of Indochina.

Remarks: Shankar et al. (2021) showed the Andaman population to be nested within the topotypical, Indochinese cluster.