NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Monocellate Cibra
Naja kaouthia Lesson, 1831
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia), also called monocellate cobra and Indian spitting cobra, is a venomous cobra species widespread across South and Southeast Asia. It is characterized by a distinctive circular or "monocle"-shaped marking on the hood, though the pattern can be highly variable or even absent in some individuals. It occupies a wide range of habitats, including forests, agricultural land, and areas near human settlements. It is responsible for a significant proportion of snakebite incidents and fatalities in its range, due to its potent neurotoxic venom and frequent proximity to human settlements. Some populations of the monocled cobra have the ability to spit venom with notable accuracy, though not all individuals exhibit this behavior.
Wikipedia contributors, Monocled cobra; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:37:53.739263+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Naja kaouthia Lesson, 1831
- Name authority
- Lesson, 1831
- Common name
- Monocellate Cibra
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Elapidae
- Genus
- Naja
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyElapidae
- genusNaja
- speciesNaja kaouthia Lesson, 1831
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Naja. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ringed Water CobraNaja annulata Peters, 1876 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chinese CobraNaja atra Cantor, 1842 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Christy's Water CobraNaja christyi (Boulenger, 1904) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Egyptian CobraNaja haje (Linnaeus, 1758) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mandalay CobraNaja mandalayensis Slowinski & Wüster, 2000 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black and White CobraNaja melanoleuca Hallowell, 1857 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Many-banded SnakeNaja multifasciata (Werner, 1902) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common cobraNaja naja (Linnaeus, 1758) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-necked Spitting CobraNaja nigricollis Reinhardt, 1843 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nubian Spitting CobraNaja nubiae Wüster & Broadley, 2003 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| African CobraNaja pallida Boulenger, 1896 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Philippine CobraNaja philippinensis Taylor, 1922 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Naja tripudians var. fasciata Gray, 1830 Gray, 1830 | synonym |
| Naja kaouthia suphanensis Nutaphand, 1986 Nutaphand, 1986 | synonym |
| Naja naja combodia Khole, 1991 Khole, 1991 | synonym |
| Naga tripudians monocellata Nicholson, 1874 Nicholson, 1874 | synonym |
| Naja larvata Cantor, 1839 Cantor, 1839 | synonym |
| Naja naja sputatrix Bourret, 1937 Bourret, 1937 | synonym |
| Naja tripudians viridis Wall, 1913 Wall, 1913 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Naja&species=kaouthia Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:45KX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.