Bungarus

Bungarus
Bungarus fasciatus (banded krait), the largest species of krait
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Bungarus Daudin, 1803
Type species
Bungarus annularis Daudin, 1803[1]
Synonyms[1]
Pseudoboa Oppel, 1811 Aspidoclonion Wagler, 1828 Megærophis Gray, 1849 Xenurelaps Günther, 1864

Bungarus (commonly known as kraits

These phases of envenomation may or may not be experienced in all parts of the body; they may or may not be experienced simultaneously. The severity of the bite itself and the actual dosage of venom delivered plays a role in the intensity of symptoms. As kraits are mainly nocturnal, encounters with humans are rare during the daytime. Bites mainly occur after sunset, and are often (initially) painless; thus, a bite may go unnoticed if the victim is sleeping or otherwise does not see or notice the krait, further prolonging envenomation damage within the body. Still—whenever possible—medical treatment should be sought posthaste, as a bite from a krait is considered potentially life-threatening. All venomous snake bites must be taken seriously as an immediate medical emergency.

Typically, victims will start to notice severe abdominal cramps accompanied by progressive muscular paralysis, and frequently starting with ptosis. As no local symptoms are usually seen, a patient should be carefully observed for tell-tale signs of paralysis (e.g. the onset of bilateral ptosis, diplopia, and dysphagia), and subsequently treated (as quickly as possible) with antivenom. Frequently, little or no pain occurs at the site of a krait bite, which can provide false reassurance to the victim. The major medical difficulty of envenomated patients is the lack of medical resources (especially intubation supplies and mechanical ventilators in rural hospitals) and potential for ineffectiveness by the antivenom.

Upon arriving at a healthcare facility, support must be provided until the venom has

Mortality rates caused by bites from the members of this genus vary by species; according to University of Adelaide Department of Toxicology, bites from the banded krait have a mortality rate of 1–10% in untreated humans,^[9] while that of the common krait is 70–80%.^[10] In common with those of all other venomous snakes, the death time and fatality rate resulting from bites of kraits depend on numerous factors, such as the venom yield and the health status of the victim.

Polyvalent elapid antivenom is effective in neutralizing of the venoms of B. candidus and B. flaviceps, and rather effective for B. fasciatus, and the monovalent B. fasciatus antivenom is also moderately effective.^[11]

Species

Image	Species	Authority	Subsp.*	Common name	Geographic range
	Bungarus andamanensis	Biswas & Sanyal, 1978	0	South Andaman krait	India (Andaman Island)
	Bungarus bungaroides	( Cantor , 1839)	0	Northeastern hill krait	Cachar, Sikkim), Nepal, Vietnam
	Bungarus caeruleus T	( Schneider , 1801)	0	Common krait, Indian krait	Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal
	Bungarus candidus	(Linnaeus, 1758)	0	Blue krait, Malayan krait	Cambodia, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Sulawesi), Malaysia (Malaya), Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
	Bungarus ceylonicus	Günther, 1864	1	Ceylon krait, Sri Lankan krait	Sri Lanka
	Bungarus fasciatus	(Schneider, 1801)	0	Banded krait	Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, south China (incl. Hong Kong, Hainan), north-east India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo), Laos, Macau; Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia), Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
	Bungarus flaviceps	(Reinhardt, 1843)	1	Red-headed krait	South Thailand, South Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Billiton, Borneo )
	Bungarus lividus	Cantor, 1839	0	Lesser black krait	India, Bangladesh, Nepal
	Bungarus magnimaculatus	Wall & Evans, 1901	0	Burmese krait	Myanmar
	Bungarus multicinctus	Blyth, 1861	1	Many-banded krait	Taiwan, south China (Hong Kong, Hainan), Myanmar, Laos, northern Vietnam, and Thailand
	Bungarus niger	Wall, 1908	0	Black krait, Greater black krait	India (Assam, Sikkim), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan
	Bungarus persicus	Abtin, Nilson, Mobaraki, Hosseini & Dehgannejhad, 2014	0	Persian krait, Iranian krait	Iran
	Bungarus sindanus	Boulenger, 1897	2	Sind krait	Southeast Pakistan, India
	Bungarus slowinskii[12]	Kuch, Kizirian, Q. Nguyen, Lawson, Donnelly & Mebs, 2005	0	Red River krait	Northern Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.
	Bungarus suzhenae	Chen, Shi, S. C., Vogel, Ding, & Shi, 2021	0	Suzhen's krait	China (Yunnan), Myanmar (Kachin State)
	Bungarus walli	Wall, 1907	0	Wall's krait	India (Uttar Pradesh), Nepal, Bangladesh

*) Not including the

See also

• Locked-in syndrome

References