Naja pallida....

[Jeremy]

I have heard rummor of Naja pallida being split into either 2 ssp or 2 sp and was wondering what is the resoning for this and who is working on it?

Also, in a new book I picked up on Reptiles of East Africa they have pictured what appears to be a greenish N.pallida. Would these 2 color forms be the reasoning for the split or do the differnces go deeper then skin deep?(As is the case, most of the time)

Thanks for any help you can give!

Later,
J

[Nightflight99]

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/download/1643/Dscn0863.jpg

Indeed, Wolfgang Wüster and Don Broadley currently have a paper in press regarding the taxonomy of Naja pallida. Since the paper isn't published yet, you won't be able to get much info on this subject yet, but word around the campfire has it that it will be split into more than one full species.

The specimen pictured above will remain Naja pallida, by the way.

Although coloration plays a part in the classification of subspecies and species, solid taxonomy usually requires a number of consistently distinct morphological differences and/or mtDNA data to justify separate species or subspecies status.

Regards,

---Nightflight99