Arrow-Vented Krait

Bungarus sagittatus.

(no common Thai name established for this species yet)

The Arrow-Vented Krait is a species of krait which, at the time of witing, has been only known from the Ratchaburi Province in Thailand where the holotype was found.

It is extremely similar in appearance to other white and black banded kraits (namely B. multicinctus and B. candidus), but has gained the status as a new species in 2024 due to morphological and molecular differences.

Not much is known of the natural history of this relatively new species yet; like most kraits, they seem to be nocturnal (as most encounters happened at night) and one subadult was observed swallowing a Cincid Lizard (Scincella reevesii).

Its epithet name derives from the Latin sagittata, meaning arrow: this references to a peculiar pattern which can be found on the snake's subcaudal scales (starting right after the cloaca), which are dark spots resembling a barbed arrow.

Snakes Of Thailand