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Hemachatus haemachatus (BONNATERRE, 1790)

IUCN Red List - Hemachatus haemachatus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Rinkhals, Ring-necked Spitting Cobra, Ringhals
G: Ringhalskobra 
SynonymVipere haemachate LACÉPÈDE 1789: 115 (nom. reject.)
Coluber haemachates BONNATERRE 1790: 31
Vipera haemachates — LATREILLE 1801
Sepedon haemachates — MERREM 1820
Naia capensis SMITH 1826: 252
Naja haemachates — SCHLEGEL 1837
Sepedon haemachates — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1259
Aspidelaps haemachates — JAN 1859
Sipedon haemachates — LOCKINGTON 1886: 300
Sepedon haemachates — SYMONDS 1887: 488
Sepedon haemachates — GADOW 1909: 633
Sepedon haemachates — STERNFELD 1910: 34
Sepedon haemachates — DITMARS 1911
Sepedonophis haemachates — SMITH 1936 (replacement name)
Hemachatus haemachatus — STEJNEGER 1936 (replacement name)
Hemachatus haemachatus — HARDING & WELCH 1980
Hemachatus haemachatus — BRANCH 1981: 20
Hemachatus haemachatus — WELCH 1994: 63
Hemachatus haemachatus — DOBIEY & VOGEL 2007
Hemachatus haemachates — WALLACH et al. 2014: 324 
DistributionRepublic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland

Type locality: Japon et Perse  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesTypes: lost (fide Golay et al. 1993) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): A monotypic genus, containing the single species H. haemachatus. A southern African endemic, ranging as far north as Zimbabwe. Readily distinguished from the closely-related Naja, by its keeled scales, the absence of solid teeth on the maxilla, and in producing live young. It is famed for its ability to spit venom, a characteristic that it shares with four other African species of Naja. (Branch 1981: 20) 
CommentVenomous! Hemachatus is a spitting cobra.

Synonymy partly after Golay et al. (1993). SAVAGE (2003) suggested to reject Lacepède’s (1788) “Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes Ovipares” as a non-binominal work (Case 3226; Bull. Zool. Nom. 60 (2)). In 1987 the ICZN ruled accordingly in opinions 1463 and 2104. Thus the author of this species has been changed to BONNATERRE. Sepedon MERREM 1820 is pre-occupied by an dipteran insect in the family Tetanoceridae, hence Smith 1936 proposed the replacement name Sepedonophis, while Steijneger 1936 pointed out that 2 older names are already available, namely Hemachatus Fleming 1822 and Merremia Berg (no date given by Stejneger).

Type species: Coluber haemachates BONNATERRE 1790 is the type species of the genus Hemachatus FLEMING 1822.

Relationships: Hemachatus is the sister genus to Naja (Lee et al. 2016). 
References
  • Alexander, G.J. & R. Brooks 1999. Circannual Rhythms of Appetite and Ecdysis in the Elapid Snake, Hemachatus haemachatus. Appear to be Endogenous Copeia 1999 (1): 146-152. - get paper here
  • Alexander, G.J., D. Mitchell & S.A. Hanrahan 1999. Wide Thermal Tolerance in the African Elapid, Hemachatus haemachatus Journal of Herpetology 33 (1): 164-167. - get paper here
  • Alexander, Graham J.; Shirley A. Hanrahan & Duncan Mitchell 2012. Assimilation efficiency and gut passage time in an African elapid snake, Hemachatus haemachatus. African Journal of Herpetology 61 (1): 3-13 - get paper here
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Bates, Michael F. & Cora S. Stobie. 2021. Current-day distribution of the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) in central South Africa and Lesotho: An evaluation based mainly on photographic and videographic records from social media. African Journal of Herpetology 0(0): 1–7. - get paper here
  • Bonnaterre, P.J. 1789. Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature, . . . Erpétologie. Panckoucke, Paris, xxviii+71 pp. (+ plates + index) - get paper here
  • Bonnaterre, P.J. 1790. Ophiologie, in Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature. Panconoke, Paris, XLIV + 76 pp + 43 plates - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1887. Synopsis of the snakes of South Africa. The Zoologist, London, (3) 11: 171-182
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  • Duméril, A. M. C., Bibron, G. & DUMÉRIL, A. H. A., 1854. Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Deuxième partie, comprenant l'histoire des serpents venimeux. Paris, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: i-xii + 781-1536 - get paper here
  • Fisk, H.R. 1887. Anecdote of a mouse and a Ringhals snake. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1887: 340-442 - get paper here
  • Fleming, John 1822. The Philosophy of Zoology; or a General View of the Structure, Functions, and Classification of Animals. Archibald Constable, Edinburgh, and Hurst, Robinson, London. Two volumes, as follows: vol. I: Iii, 432 pages, 5 plates; vol. II: (1), 618 pages. - get paper here
  • Gadow, H. 1909. Amphibia and Reptilia. MacMillan, London, 668 pp. - get paper here
  • Golay,P, H.M. SMITH, D.G. BROADLEY, J. R. DIXON, C., MCCARTHY, J. C. RAGE, B. SCHÀTTI & M.TORIBA 1993. Endoglyphs and other major venomous snakes of the world. A checklist. [type catalogue] Aire-Genève, Azemiops S. A. Herpetological Data Center: i-xv + 1-478.
  • Haagner, G. V. 1991. Life History Note: Hemachatus haemachatus: Reproduction. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (39): 26-26 - get paper here
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  • Hörold, Ralf 2019. Die echten Kobras und ihre Gifte Ophidia 13 (1): 18-26
  • ICZN 2005. OPINION 2104 (Case 3226). Lacepède, B.G.É. de la V., 1788, Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes Ovipares: rejected as a non-binominal work. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 62 (1): 55 - get paper here
  • Lacepède, B. G. E. 1789. Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupèdes Ovipares et de Serpens. Vol.2. lmprimerie du Roi, Hôtel de Thou, Paris, 671 pp. - get paper here
  • Laita, Mark 2013. Serpentine. Abrams and PQ Blackwell, Auckland, New Zealand, 200 unnumbered pages
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  • Liebenberg, A.G. 1998. Life History Notes - Hemachatus haemachatus. African Herp News (27): 16-17 - get paper here
  • Lockington 1886. The form of the pupil in snakes. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 1886: 300 - get paper here
  • Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg, 191 pp. - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Savage, J.M. 2003. Lacepéde, B.G.É. de la V., 1788, Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupédes Ovipares: proposed rejection as a non-binomial work. Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 60 (2): 138 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, Dieter 2012. Giftbisse von giftigen und „harmlosen“ Schlangen. Teil 1. Terraria-Elaphe 2012 (2): 78-82 - get paper here
  • SMITH, G. 2011. The status of the Rinkhals Hemachatus haemachatus in the city of Cape Town metropolitan area, Western Cape, South Africa. African Herp News (53): 13-16 - get paper here
  • Smith, Hobart M. 1936. A preoccupied generic name of a South African ophidian. Copeia 1936 (1): 70 - get paper here
  • Smith,A. 1826. On the snakes of Southern Africa. Edinburgh New Philos. J. 1: 248-254
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  • Stejneger, L. 1936. The Generic Name of a South African Ophidian. Copeia 1936 (2): 114-114 - get paper here
  • Sternfeld, R. 1910. Die Fauna der deutschen Kolonien: Die Schlangen Deutsch-Südwestafrikas. Berlin, R. Friedländer & Sohn, 45 pp.
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  • Winchell, S. 2011. Kobras. Reptilia (Münster) 16 (89): 16-22 - get paper here
 
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