View source for Elapidae

{{Short description|Family of venomous snakes}}
{{confuse|Elopidae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = {{multiple image
  | total_width              = 280
  | border                   = infobox
  | perrow                   = 2/2
  | caption_align = center
  | image1                   = King-Cobra.jpg
  | image2                   = Sinomicrurus macclellandi (cropped).jpg
  | image3                   = Black Mamba 01.jpg
  | image4                   = Fierce Snake-Oxyuranus microlepidotus.jpg
  }}
| image_caption = From the top left clockwise: [[king cobra]], [[Sinomicrurus macclellandi|oriental coral snake]], [[inland taipan]] and [[black mamba]]
| taxon = Elapidae
| authority = [[Friedrich Boie|F. Boie]], 1827
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera
| subdivision_ref = {{efn|The elapids in the past were considered to have two subfamilies–the Elapinae made of terrestrial species and Hydrophiinae made of marine species.<ref name="mattison2007">{{cite book |vauthors=Mattison C |author-link=species:Chris Mattison |year=2007 |title=The New Encyclopedia of Snakes |location=Princeton, New Jersey |publisher=Princeton University Press}} 272 pp. {{ISBN|978-0-691-13295-2}}.</ref> In 1997, Slowinski, Knight, and Rooney found in their phylogenetic analysis using amino acid sequences from venom proteins, that the Australasian terrestrial species nested within Hydrophiinae. This led to removing the Australasian terrestrial species and placing them in the Hydrophiinae.<ref name="Slowinskial1997">{{cite journal |author=Slowinski, Joseph B.|author2=Knight, Alec|author3=Rooney, Alejandro P. |author-link1=Joseph Bruno Slowinski |author-link2=species:R. Alec Knight |title=Inferring species trees from gene trees: a phylogenetic analysis of the Elapidae (Serpentes) based on the amino acid sequences of venom proteins |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=349–62 |date=1997 |pmid=9417893 |doi=10.1006/mpev.1997.0434 |bibcode=1997MolPE...8..349S |citeseerx=10.1.1.324.3013}}</ref><ref name="mattison2007"/> This has been support in subsequent recent genomic analyses, though these same studies also found the subfamily Elapinae to be paraphyletic in respect to the Hydrophiinae.<ref name=PyronSquamtes>{{cite journal |vauthors=[[species:Robert Alexanfer Pyron|Pyron RA]], [[species:Frank T. Burbrink|Burbrink FT]], [[species:John Joseph Wiens|Wiens JJ]] |title=A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=13 |page=93 |date=2013 |issue=1 |pmid=23627680 |pmc=3682911 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-13-93 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2013BMCEE..13...93P }}</ref><ref name=Leeetal2016>{{cite journal |vauthors=[[species:Michael S.Y. Lee|Lee MS]], [[species:Kate Laura Sanders|Sanders KL]], King B, Palci A |title=Diversification rates and phenotypic evolution in venomous snakes (Elapidae) |journal=Royal Society Open Science |volume=3 |issue=1 |article-number=150277 |date=2016 |pmid=26909162 |pmc=4736917 |doi=10.1098/rsos.150277 |bibcode=2016RSOS....350277L}}</ref><ref name="Figueroa16">{{cite journal |vauthors=[[species:Alex Figueroa|Figueroa A]], [[species:Alexander D. McKelvy|McKelvy AD]], [[species:Larry Lee Grismer|Grismer LL]], [[species:Charles D. Bell|Bell CD]], [[species:Simon P. Lailvaux|Lailvaux SP]] |title=A Species-Level Phylogeny of Extant Snakes with Description of a New Colubrid Subfamily and Genus |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=9 |article-number=e0161070 |date=2016 |pmid=27603205 |pmc=5014348 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0161070 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1161070F |doi-access=free}}</ref> These studies have found [[coral snake]]s, [[cobra]]s and [[mamba]]s, [[Bungarus|kraits]], and [[Elapsoidea|African gartersnakes]] forming successive outgroups to Hydrophiinae.<ref name=Leeetal2016/><ref name="Figueroa16"/> Since there are available clade names for these groups (with the exception of Elapsoidea), it is ideal to bring back the subfamilies Calliophiinae, Micrurinae, Najinae, and Bungarinae.}}
| subdivision = * [[Calliophiinae (Subfamily)|Calliophiinae]]
* [[Micrurinae (Subfamily)|Micrurinae]]
* ''[[Naja]]''
* ''[[Bungarus]]''
* ''[[Elapsoidea]]''
* [[Hydrophiinae]]
}}

'''Elapidae''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|l|æ|p|ə|d|iː}}, commonly known as '''elapids''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|l|ə|p|ɪ|d|z}}, from {{langx|grc|{{wikt-lang|grc|ἔλαψ}}}} {{Transliteration|grc|élaps}}, variant of {{wikt-lang|grc|ἔλλοψ}} {{Transliteration|grc|éllops}} "sea-fish")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/elapid?r=75&src=ref&ch=dic |title=Definition of 'elapid'. |publisher=dictionary.com |access-date=2009-07-13 |archive-date=2015-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402161213/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/elapid?r=75&src=ref&ch=dic |url-status=live }}</ref> is a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[snake]]s characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are [[venomous]], with the exception of the genus ''[[Emydocephalus]]''. Many members of this family exhibit a [[threat display]] of rearing upwards while spreading out a neck flap. Elapids are endemic to [[tropics|tropical]] and [[subtropics|subtropical]] regions around the world, with terrestrial forms in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas and marine forms in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Indian Ocean]]s. Members of the family have a wide range of sizes, from the {{Convert|18|cm|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[white-lipped snake]] to the {{Convert|5.85|m|ftin|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[king cobra]]. Most species have [[neurotoxins|neurotoxic]] venom that is channeled by their hollow fangs, and some may contain other toxic components in varying proportions. The family includes 55 [[genera]] with around 360 [[species]] and over 170 subspecies.

==Description==
[[terrestrial animal|Terrestrial]] elapids look similar to the [[Colubridae]]; almost all have long, slender bodies with smooth scales, a head covered with large shields (and not always distinct from the neck), and eyes with rounded pupils. Also like colubrids, their behavior is usually quite active and fast, with most of the females being [[oviparous]] (egg-layers). Exceptions to these generalizations occur; for example, death adders (''[[Acanthophis]]'') have commonalities with the [[Viperidae]] family, such as shorter, stout bodies, rough/keeled scales, broad heads, cat-like pupils and [[ovoviviparous]] (internal hatchings with live births). Furthermore, they can also be sluggish, ambush predators with partially fragmented head shields, similar to [[rattlesnakes]] or [[Gaboon viper]]s.

Sea snakes (the [[Hydrophiinae]]), sometimes considered to be a separate family, have adapted to a marine way of life in different ways and to various degrees. All have evolved paddle-like tails for swimming and the ability to excrete salt. Most also have laterally compressed bodies, their [[ventral scales]] are much reduced in size, their nostrils are located dorsally (no [[internasal scales]]), and they give birth to live young ([[viviparity]]). The reduction in ventral scaling has greatly diminished their terrestrial mobility, but aids in swimming.

Members of this family have a wide range of sizes. ''[[Drysdalia]]'' species are small serpents typically {{Convert|50|cm|adj=on|abbr=on}} and down to {{Convert|18|cm|adj=on|abbr=on}} in length. [[Cobras]], [[mamba]]s, and [[taipan]]s are mid- to large sized snakes which can reach {{Convert|2|m|adj=on|abbr=on}} or above. The [[king cobra]] is the world's longest venomous snake with a maximum length of {{convert|5.85|m|abbr=on}} and an average mass of {{convert|6|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Chanhome2011>{{cite journal |vauthors=Chanhome L, Cox MJ, Vasaruchapong T, Chaiyabutr N, Sitprija V |title=Characterization of venomous snakes of Thailand. |journal=Asian Biomedicine |date = June 2011 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=311–28 |doi=10.5372/1905-7415.0503.043 |doi-broken-date=12 July 2025}}</ref>

===Dentition===
[[File:Ophiophagus hannah skull.jpg|thumb|left|The lateral view of a king cobra's skull showing fangs]]
All elapids have a pair of [[Snake skeleton#Proteroglyph|proteroglyphous]] fangs to inject [[venom]] from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaw (except for the genus ''[[Emydocephalus]]'', in which fangs are present as a vestigial feature but without venom production, as they have specialized toward a [[fish egg]] diet, making them the only non-venomous elapids). The fangs, which are enlarged and hollow, are the first two teeth on each [[maxilla]]ry bone. Usually only one fang is in place on each side at any time. The maxilla is intermediate in both length and mobility between typical [[Colubridae|colubrids]] (long, less mobile) and [[Viperidae|viperids]] (very short, highly mobile). When the mouth is closed, the fangs fit into grooved slots in the [[cheek|buccal]] floor and usually below the front edge of the eye and are angled backwards; some elapids (''Acanthophis'', taipan, mamba, and king cobra) have long fangs on quite mobile maxillae and can make fast strikes. A few species are capable of spraying their venom from forward-facing holes in their fangs for defense, as exemplified by [[spitting cobra]]s.

==Behavior==
Most elapids are [[Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]], while some are strongly arboreal (African ''[[Pseudohaje]]'' and ''[[Dendroaspis]]'', Australian ''[[Hoplocephalus]]''). Many species are more or less specialized burrowers (e.g. ''[[Ogmodon]]'', ''[[Parapistocalamus]]'', ''[[Simoselaps]]'', ''[[Toxicocalamus]]'', and ''[[Vermicella]]'') in either humid or arid environments. Some species have very generalised diets ([[euryphagy]]), but many taxa have narrow prey preferences (stenophagy) and correlated morphological specializations, for example feeding almost exclusively on other serpents (especially the king cobra and [[kraits]]). Elapids may display a series of warning signs if provoked, either obviously or subtly. [[Cobra|Cobras]] and [[Mamba|mambas]] lift their inferior body parts, expand hoods, and hiss if threatened; kraits often curl up before hiding their heads down their bodies.

In general, sea snakes are able to respire through their skin. Experiments with the yellow-bellied sea snake, ''[[Hydrophis platurus]]'', have shown that this species can satisfy about 20% of its oxygen requirements in this manner, allowing for prolonged dives. The sea kraits ([[Laticauda|''Laticauda'' spp.]]) are the sea snakes least adapted to aquatic life. Their bodies are less compressed laterally, and they have thicker bodies and ventral scaling. Because of this, they are capable of some land movement. They spend much of their time on land, where they lay their eggs and digest prey.

==Distribution==
Terrestrial elapids are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Most prefer humid tropical environments, though there are many that can still be found in arid environments. Sea snakes occur mainly in the Indian Ocean and the south-west Pacific. They occupy coastal waters and shallows, and are common in coral reefs. However, the range of ''Hydrophis platurus'' extends across the Pacific to the coasts of Central and South America.<ref name="NRDB">{{NRDB family |page=elapidae.php |family=Elapidae |date=3 November |year=2008}}</ref>

==Venom==
Venoms of species in the Elapidae are mainly [[neurotoxic]] for immobilizing prey and defense. The main group of toxins are [[PLA2]] and [[three-finger toxin]]s (3FTx). Other toxic components in some species comprise [[cardiotoxins]] and [[cytotoxins]], which cause heart dysfunctions and cellular damage, respectively. Cobra venom also contains [[hemotoxin]]s that clot or solidify blood. Most members are venomous to varying extents, and some are considered among the world's most venomous snakes based upon their [[murine]] {{LD50}} values, such as the taipans.<ref name="LD50">{{cite web |url=http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html |title=LD50 Scores for various snakes |first1=Séan |last1=Thomas |first2=Eugene |last2=Griessel |name-list-style=vanc |date=Dec 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201062634/http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/ld50tot.html |archive-date=1 February 2012}}</ref> Large species, mambas and cobras included, are dangerous for their ability to inject large quantities of venom upon a single [[envenomation]] and/or striking at a high position proximal to the victim's [[brain]], which is vulnerable to neurotoxicity. [[Antivenom]] is promptly required to be administered if bitten by any elapids. Specific antivenoms are the only cure to treat elapidae bites. There are commercial monovalent and polyvalent antivenoms for cobras, mambas, and some other important elapids. Recently, experimental antivenoms based on recombinant toxins have shown that it is feasible to create antivenoms with a wide spectrum of coverage.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=de la Rosa G, Olvera F, Archundia IG, Lomonte B, Alagón A, Corzo G |title=Horse immunization with short-chain consensus α-neurotoxin generates antibodies against broad spectrum of elapid venomous species |journal=Nature Communications |volume=10 |issue=1 |article-number=3642 |date=August 2019 |pmid=31409779 |pmc=6692343 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-11639-2 |bibcode=2019NatCo..10.3642D}}</ref>

The venom of spitting cobras is more cytotoxic rather than neurotoxic. It damages local cells, especially those in eyes, which are deliberately targeted by the snakes. The venom may cause intense pain on contact with the eye and may lead to blindness. It is not lethal on skin if no wound provides any chance for the toxins to enter the [[blood|bloodstream]].<ref name="WHO">{{cite web |url=https://digicollections.net/medicinedocs/#d/s17810en |title=Guidelines for the Prevention and Clinical Management of Snakebite in Africa |author=Regional Office for Africa, World Health Organization |date=2010 |access-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325092917/http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js2268e/2.html#d/s17810en }}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The table below lists out all of the elapid genera and no subfamilies. In the past, many subfamilies were recognized, or have been suggested for the Elapidae, including the Elapinae, Hydrophiinae (sea snakes), Micrurinae (coral snakes), Acanthophiinae (Australian elapids), and the Laticaudinae (sea kraits). Currently, none are universally recognized. Molecular evidence via techniques like karyotyping, protein electrophoretic analyses, immunological distance and DNA sequencing, suggests reciprocal monophyly of two groups: African, Asian, and New World Elapinae versus Australasian and marine [[Hydrophiinae]]. The Australian terrestrial elapids are technically 'hydrophiines', although they are not sea snakes. It is believed that the ''[[Laticauda]]'' and the 'true sea snakes' evolved separately from Australasian land snakes. Asian cobras, coral snakes, and American coral snakes also appear to be monophyletic, while African cobras do not.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Slowinski JB, Keogh JS |author-link1=Joseph Bruno Slowinski |title=Phylogenetic relationships of elapid snakes based on cytochrome b mtDNA sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=157–64 |date=April 2000 |pmid=10764543 |doi=10.1006/mpev.1999.0725 |bibcode=2000MolPE..15..157S |url=https://biology-assets.anu.edu.au/hosted_sites/Scott/2000slowinskikeoghmpe.pdf |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2019-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314230350/http://biology-assets.anu.edu.au/hosted_sites/Scott/2000slowinskikeoghmpe.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Williams D, Wüster W, Fry BG |author-link2=Wolfgang Wüster |title=The good, the bad and the ugly: Australian snake taxonomists and a history of the taxonomy of Australia's venomous snakes |journal=Toxicon |volume=48 |issue=7 |pages=919–30 |date=December 2006 |pmid=16999982 |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.07.016 |bibcode=2006Txcn...48..919W |url=http://www.kingsnake.com/aho/williamsetal2006.pdf |access-date=2010-09-18 |archive-date=2012-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010135526/http://www.kingsnake.com/aho/williamsetal2006.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[type genus]] for the Elapidae was originally ''Elaps'', but the group was moved to another family. In contrast to what is typical of [[botany]], the family Elapidae was not renamed. In the meantime, ''Elaps'' was renamed ''[[Homoroselaps]]'' and moved back to the Elapidae. However, Nagy ''et al.'' (2005) regard it as a sister taxon to ''Atractaspis'', which should have been assigned to the [[Atractaspididae]].

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="min-width:10%; max-width:15%;"| Genus<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=174348 |taxon=Elapidae |access-date=27 November 2006}}</ref>
!style="width:10%"| Taxon<br />author<ref name="ITIS"/>
!style="width:5%;"| Species<ref name="ITIS"/>
!style="width:5%;"| Subspecies*<ref name="ITIS"/>
!style="max-width:15%"| Common<br />name
! Geographic<br />range<ref name="NRDB"/>
|-
|''[[Acanthophis]]''
|[[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1803
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|death adders
|Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia ([[Seram Island]] and [[Tanimbar Islands|Tanimbar]])
|-
|''[[Aipysurus]]''
|[[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1804
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|1
|olive sea snakes
|[[Timor Sea]], South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and coasts of Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia), New Caledonia, [[Loyalty Islands]], southern New Guinea, Indonesia, western [[Malaysia]] and [[Vietnam]]
|-
|''[[Antaioserpens]]''
|[[Richard W. Wells|Wells]] & [[species:Cliff Ross Wellington|Wellington]], 1985
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|burrowing snakes
|[[Australia]]
|-
|''[[Aspidelaps]]''
|[[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1843
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|4
|shieldnose cobras
|[[South Africa]] ([[Cape Province]], [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]]), [[Namibia]], southern [[Angola]], [[Botswana]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Mozambique]]
|-
|''[[Aspidomorphus]]''
|Fitzinger, 1843
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|3
|collared adders
|[[New Guinea]]
|-
|''[[Austrelaps]]''
|[[Eric Worrell|Worrell]], 1963
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|Australian copperheads
|Australia (South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, [[Tasmania]])
|-
|''[[Brachyurophis]]''
|[[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1863
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|shovel-nosed snakes
|Australia
|-
|''[[Bungarus]]''
|Daudin, 1803
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|4
|kraits
|India (incl. [[Andaman Islands]]), [[Myanmar]], [[Nepal]], Vietnam, [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], Sri Lanka, [[Bangladesh]], [[Cambodia]], Indonesia ([[Java (island)|Java]], [[Sumatra]], [[Bali]], [[Sulawesi]]), [[Peninsular Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], Taiwan, Thailand
|-
|''[[Cacophis]]''
|Günther, 1863
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|rainforest crowned snakes
|Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)
|-
|''[[Calliophis]]''
|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1834
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|11
|Oriental coral snakes
|India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan
|-
|''[[Cryptophis]]''
|Worrell, 1961
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|
|[[Australia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]
|-
|''[[Demansia]]''
|Gray, 1842
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|2
|whipsnakes
|New Guinea, continental Australia
|-
|''[[Dendroaspis]]''
|[[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1848
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|mambas
|Sub-Saharan Africa
|-
|''[[Denisonia]]''
|[[Gerard Krefft|Krefft]], 1869
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|ornamental snakes
|Central Queensland and central northern New South Wales, Australia
|-
|''[[Drysdalia]]''
|Worrell, 1961
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|southeastern grass snakes
|Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales)
|-
|''[[Echiopsis]]''
|Fitzinger, 1843
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|bardick
|Southern Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales)
|-
|''[[Elapognathus]]''
|[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1896
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|southwestern grass snakes
|Western Australia
|-
|''[[Elapsoidea]]''
|[[José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage|Bocage]], 1866
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|7
|African or venomous garter snakes (not related to North American garter snakes, which are harmless to humans)
|Sub-Saharan Africa
|-
|''[[Emydocephalus]]''
|Krefft, 1869
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|turtlehead sea snakes
|The coasts of Timor (Indonesian Sea), New Caledonia, Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia), and in the Southeast Asian Sea along the coasts of China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Ryukyu Islands
|-
|''[[Ephalophis]]''
|[[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1931
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Grey's mudsnake/ mangrove sea snake
|Northwestern Australia
|-
|''[[Furina (snake)]]''
|[[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C. Duméril]], 1853
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|pale-naped snakes
|Mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, Aru Islands
|-
|''[[Hemachatus]]''
|[[John Fleming (naturalist)|Fleming]], 1822
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|rinkhals/ring-necked spitting cobra
|South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini
|-
|''[[Hemiaspis]]''
|Fitzinger, 1861
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|swamp snakes
|Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)
|-
|''[[Hemibungarus]]''
|[[Wilhelm Peters|W. Peters]], 1862
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|Barred coral snakes
|Philippines (Luzon, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Mindoro, Catanduanes, Polillo is.) 
|-
|''[[Hoplocephalus]]''
|[[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1830
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|0
|broad-headed snakes
|Eastern Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)
|-
|''[[Hydrelaps]]''
|Boulenger, 1896
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Port Darwin mudsnake
|Northern Australia, southern New Guinea
|-
|''[[Hydrophis]]''
|[[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]] ''In'' [[Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt|Sonnini]] & Latreille, 1801
|align="center"|34
|align="center"|3
|sea snakes
|Indoaustralian and Southeast Asian waters.<ref name="Cyb">[http://www.cyberlizard.plus.com/venomous5.htm The Hydrophiidae] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702194820/http://www.cyberlizard.plus.com/venomous5.htm |date=2007-07-02 }} at [http://www.cyberlizard.plus.com/ Cyberlizard's home pages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124093746/http://www.cyberlizard.plus.com/ |date=2007-11-24 }}. Accessed [12 August] [2007].</ref>
|-
|''[[Incongruelaps]]''†
|
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|
|[[Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh)|Riversleigh]], Australia<ref>[http://www.create.unsw.edu.au/research/files/Scanlon%20et%20al%20(2003)%20Mid-Tertiary%20elapid%20snakes%20(Squamata,%20Colubroidea)%20from%20Riversleigh.pdf Scanlon J,Lee M, Archer M,  2002, Mid-Tertiary elapid snakes (Squamata, Colubroidea) from Riversleigh, northern Australia: early steps in a continent-wide adaptive radiation, Geobios 36 (2003) 573–601] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312024304/http://www.create.unsw.edu.au/research/files/Scanlon%20et%20al%20(2003)%20Mid-Tertiary%20elapid%20snakes%20(Squamata,%20Colubroidea)%20from%20Riversleigh.pdf |date=2019-03-12 }}.</ref>
|-
|''[[Laticauda]]''
|[[Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti|Laurenti]], 1768
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|sea kraits
|Southeast Asian and Indo-Australian waters
|-
|''[[Loveridgelaps]]''
|[[species:Samuel Booker McDowell, Jr.|McDowell]], 1970
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Solomons small-eyed snake
|Solomon Islands
|-
|''[[Microcephalophis]]''
|[[René Lesson|Lesson]], 1832
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|narrow-headed sea snake, graceful small-headed slender seasnake, common small-headed sea snake 
|on the coasts of the Indian Ocean and West Pacific, from around the [[Persian Gulf]] ([[Bahrain]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Oman]], [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE), [[Iran]], [[Iraq]] and [[Kuwait]]) to [[Pakistan]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Myanmar]], [[Thailand]], and [[Indonesia]], and into the [[Malay Archipelago]]/West Pacific in Thailand, [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], the [[Philippines]], southern [[China]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Taiwan]], as well as in Australia ([[Queensland]]) and [[Papua New Guinea]]
|-
|''[[Micropechis]]''
|Boulenger, 1896
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|New Guinea small-eyed snake 
|New Guinea
|-
|''[[Micruroides]]''
|[[Karl Patterson Schmidt|K.P. Schmidt]], 1928
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Western coral snakes
|United States (Arizona, southwestern New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa)
|-
|''[[Micrurus]]''
|Wagler, 1824
|align="center"|83
|align="center"|51
|coral snakes
|Southern North America, South America
|-
|''[[Naja]]''
|Laurenti, 1768
|align="center"|39
|align="center"|3
|cobras
|Africa, Asia
|-
|''[[Neelaps]]''
|(A.M.C. Duméril, [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]] & [[Auguste Duméril|A.H.A. Duméril]], 1854)
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|
|Australia
|-
|''[[Notechis]]''
|Boulenger, 1896
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|tiger snake
|Southern Australia, including many offshore islands
|-
|''[[Ogmodon]]''
|[[Wilhelm Peters|W. Peters]], 1864
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|bola
|Fiji
|-
|''[[Ophiophagus]]''
|Günther, 1864
|align="center"|4<ref name=taxonomy>{{Cite journal |title=Taxonomic revision of the king cobra ''Ophiophagus hannah'' (Cantor, 1836) species complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae), with the description of two new species |journal=European Journal of Taxonomy |date=2024 |doi=10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681 |url=https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/2681/12413 |last1=Das |first1=Indraneil |last2=Gowri Shankar |first2=P. |last3=Swamy |first3=Priyanka |last4=Williams |first4=Rhiannon C. |last5=Lalremsanga |first5=Hmar Tlawmte |last6=Prashanth |first6=P. |last7=Sahoo |first7=Gunanidhi |last8=Vijayakumar |first8=S.P. |last9=Höglund |first9=Jacob |last10=Shanker |first10=Kartik |last11=Dutta |first11=Sushil K. |last12=Ganesh |first12=S.R. |last13=Wüster |first13=Wolfgang |issue=961 |page=2681 |bibcode=2024EJTax.961.2681D |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|align="center"|1

|King cobra
|Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, western Malaysia, the Philippines
|-
|''[[Oxyuranus]]''
|[[James Roy Kinghorn|Kinghorn]], 1923
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|taipans
|Australia, New Guinea
|-
|''[[Parahydrophis]]''
|[[species:William Leslie Burger|Burger]] & Natsuno, 1974
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Northern mangrove sea snake
|Northern Australia, southern New Guinea
|-
|''[[Parapistocalamus]]''
|[[Jean Roux|Roux]], 1934
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Hediger's snake
|Bougainville Island, Solomons
|-
|''[[Paroplocephalus]]''
|[[species:J. Scott Keogh|Keogh]], [[species:Ian A.W. Scott|Scott]]  & [[species:John David Scanlon|Scanlon]], 2000
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Lake Cronin snake
|Western Australia
|-
|''[[Pseudechis]]''
|Wagler, 1830
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|black snakes (and king brown)
|Australia
|-
|''[[Pseudohaje]]''
|Günther, 1858
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|tree cobras
|Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria
|-
|''[[Pseudonaja]]''
|Günther, 1858
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|2
|venomous brown snakes (and dugites)
|Australia
|-
|''[[Rhinoplocephalus]]''
|[[Fritz Müller (doctor)|F. Müller]], 1885
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Müller's snake
|Western Australia
|-
|''[[Salomonelaps]]''
|McDowell, 1970
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Solomons coral snake 
|Solomon Islands
|-
|''[[Simoselaps]]''
|[[Giorgio Jan|Jan]], 1859
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|3
|Australian coral snakes
|Mainland Australia
|-
|''[[Sinomicrurus]]''
|[[Joseph Bruno Slowinski|Slowinski]], [[species:Jeff Boundy|Boundy]] & [[species:Robin Lawson|Lawson]], 2001
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|6
|Asian coral snakes
|Asia
|-
|''[[Suta (snake)|Suta]]''
|Worrell, 1961
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|0
|hooded snakes (and curl snake)
|Australia
|-
|''[[Thalassophis]]''
|[[species:Philipp Schmidt|P. Schmidt]], 1852
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|anomalous sea snake
|South Chinese Sea (Malaysia, Gulf of Thailand), Indian Ocean (Sumatra, Java, Borneo)
|-
|''[[Toxicocalamus]]''
|Boulenger, 1896
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|0
|New Guinea forest snakes
|New Guinea (and nearby islands)
|-
|''[[Tropidechis]]''
|Günther, 1863
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|rough-scaled snake
|Eastern Australia
|-
|''[[Vermicella]]''
|Gray ''in'' Günther, 1858
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|bandy-bandies
|Australia
|-
|''[[Walterinnesia]]''
|[[Fernand Lataste|Lataste]], 1887
|align="center"|2<ref>Nilson G, Rastegar-Pouyani N (2007). "''Walterinnesia aegyptia'' Lataste, 1887 (Ophidia: Elapidae) and the status of ''Naja morgani'' Mocquard, 1905". ''Russian Journal of Herpetology'' '''14''': 7-14.</ref>
|align="center"|0
|black desert cobra
|Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey<ref>Ugurtas IH, Papenfuss TJ, [[:fr:Nikolaï Orlov|Orlov NL]] (2001). "New record of ''Walterinnesia aegyptia'' Lataste, 1887 (Ophidia: Elapidae: Bungarinae) in Turkey". ''Russian Journal of Herpetology'' '''8''' (3): 239-245.</ref>
|-
|}
''* Not including the nominate subspecies''

==Conservation==
With the dangers the taxa presents given their venomous nature it is very difficult for activists and conservationists alike to get species on protection lists such as the IUCN red-list and CITES Apenndix lists. Some of the protected species are:

* Vulnerable:
** ''[[Ophiophagus hannah]]'' (King cobra)
** ''[[Austrelaps labialis]]'' (Pygmy copperhead)
** ''[[Ornamental snake|Denisonia maculate]]'' (Ornamental snake)
** ''[[Lake Cronin snake|Echiopsis atriceps]]'' (Lake Cronin snake)
** ''[[Echiopsis|E. curta]]'' (Bardick)
** ''[[Furina dunmalli]]'' (Dunmall's snake)
** ''[[Broad-headed snake|Hoplocephalus bungaroides]]'' (Broad-headed snake)
** ''[[Fiji snake|Ogmodon vitianus]]'' (Fiji snake)
* Lower Risk/Near threatened:
** ''[[Elapognathus minor]]'' (Short-nosed snake)
** ''[[Simoselaps calonotus]]'' (Black-striped snake)

This however does not touch the number of elapidae that are under threat, for instance 9% of elapid sea snakes are threatened with another 6% near-threatened.<ref> Eifes, C.T. & Livingstone 2013.</ref> A rather large road block that stands in the way of more species being put under protection is lack of knowledge of the taxa; many known species have little research done on their behaviors or actual population as they live in very remote areas or live in habitats that are so vast its nearly impossible to conduct population studies, like the sea snakes.

== See also ==
*[[List of snake genera]], overview of all snake families and genera

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |vauthors=[[species:Coleman Jett Goin|Goin CJ]], [[species:Olive Lynda Bown Goin|Goin OB]], [[species:George Robert Zug|Zug GR]] |date=1978 |title=Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition |location=San Francisco |publisher=W.H. Freeman and Company }} xi + 378 pp. {{ISBN|0-7167-0020-4}}. (Family Elapidae, pp. 329–333).

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Elapidae}}

{{Snake_families}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q186554}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Elapidae| ]]
[[Category:Venomous snakes]]
[[Category:Snake families]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Friedrich Boie]]