Images attached to GBIF records (field photographs), from . Open licences; click for the record.
Naja romani
Naja romani (Hoffstetter, 1939)
Naja romani is an extinct species of cobra from the Miocene of Europe. Its remains have been found from France to Russia and suggest a continued growth to larger sizes throughout its range in time. While successful during the early and middle stages of the Miocene, the species disappeared from the fossil record of Central Europe during the late Miocene with the last known specimen being recovered from a site in the modern Caucasus, inferred to have been a refuge for reptiles. Estimates suggest that Naja romani may have reached a length of over 2 m (6 ft 7 in).
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
description
Description. Fangs: Four isolated teeth are venomous fangs. They are tubular, with acute distal tips. The discharge orifice, located on the anterior surface of each fang, is elongate and gladiate-shaped. The discharge orifice extends, towards the proximal end, in the form of a visible suture. The latter condition is characteristic of elapid snakes, whereas in viperids the anterior surface of the fang is generally smooth. Relatively small dimensions of the fangs suggest that they either belonged to juvenile / subadult individuals or were replacement (non-functional) fangs. Vertebrae: Most vertebrae come from the middle trunk portion of the column. In the largest (but partly damaged) vertebra (HLMD-Ez 2151, Fig. 18 K-O), centrum length measures 7.1 mm, centrum width - 5.7 mm, and centrum length / centrum width ratio equals 1.25. At least in large vertebrae, the centrum is triangular in ventral view, with a flat or slightly concave ventral surface. The subcentral ridges are well developed, especially behind the paradiapophyses. The hypapophysis, preserved partly in few vertebrae, is thick, strongly inclined posteriorly and shows a straight anteroventral margin. The neural arch is rath
Amphibian and reptilian fauna from the early Miocene of Echzell, Germany
materials_examined
Material. Four fangs HLMD-Ez 2157, 50 trunk vertebrae HLMD-Ez 2151 - 5156.
Amphibian and reptilian fauna from the early Miocene of Echzell, Germany
description
DESCRIPTION The vertebra is large and robust with a centrum length of 9.2 mm and width of 9.7 mm. The CL / NAW (centrum length / width of interzygapophyseal constriction) ratio is 0.95. The constriction between the pre- and postzygapophyses is weakly developed. From the ventral view, the subcentral ridges are well developed and relatively straight. The subcentral grooves are deep. The hypapophysis is very long and laterally compressed. It is directed ventrally and slightly posteriorly, with its posterior tip being obtuse and protruding posteriorly to the level of the condyle. The neural spine is relatively long and low, and incomplete in its mid length. The neural arch is markedly vaulted. The synapophyses are broken, but the left parapophyseal process is partly preserved and projected anteriorly and slightly ventrally. The zygosphenal roof is concave in dorsal view, presenting a small prominence in the middle of its width that can be considered as minute median lobe. In anterior view, the zygosphenal roof is straight. The prezygapophyseal articular facets are nearly circular. The prezygapophyseal process is missing on the left side, but completely present on the right side where i
Naja romani (Hoffstetter, 1939) (Serpentes: Elapidae) from the late Miocene of the Northern Caucasus: the last East European large cobra
discussion
COMPARISON AND REMARKS The presence of hypapophysis is a typical distinctive feature for snakes of the families Natricidae, Viperidae, and Elapidae (Szyndlar 1991). Thus, the vertebra GIN 1145 / 305 can be assigned to one of these groups. The large size, robustness, and inclination of hypapophysis (directed ventrally rather than postero-ventrally) preclude the attribution of GIN 1145 / 305 to Natricidae. The shape and inclination of hypapophysis in GIN 1145 / 305 correspond to that of the vertebrae of Viperidae, however the vertebrae of the latter group have a dorso-ventrally depressed neural arch and larger cotyle and condyle. The laterally compressed hypapophysis and the very low neural spine observed in GIN 1145 / 305 are characteristic of Elapidae and “ Naja group ” (Szyndlar 1991). Elapid fossil finds often offer, well preserved cranial elements, which are useful keys for determining the fossil species. Accordingly, isolated elapid vertebrae are not very informative. Naja romani is currently the only recognized species of Naja in Central and Eastern Europe (a possible alternative opinion was announced by Quadros et al. 2019). The material herein can be assigned to N. romani ba
Naja romani (Hoffstetter, 1939) (Serpentes: Elapidae) from the late Miocene of the Northern Caucasus: the last East European large cobra
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The type specimen of Naja romani was determined to have reached a length of 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) by Hoffstetter. Hoffstetter also estimated a length of over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) for the larger remains he named Naja crassa, which were later found to also belong to Naja romani. An even greater size is indicated by the youngest remains assigned to the species, however no precise estimates are given.
Range & habitat
The oldest recorded specimens of Naja romani date to the Burdigalian (MN 4) and were discovered in Petersbuch, Germany, with similarly aged remains tentatively referred to the taxon also being found in Echzell (Germany, MN 4) and Vieux-Collonges (France, MN 4/5). By the middle and late Miocene Naja romani could also be found in Grund (Austria, MN 5), La Grive-Saint Alban (France, MN 7+8), Gritsev and Rudabánya (Ukraine and Hungary, MN 9), Ravin de la Pluie (Greece, MN 10) and Kohfidisch (Austria, MN11). Ongoing climate change however likely lead to the extinction of cobras in central Europe by the latest Miocene, with the specimens from Kohfidisch being the last known remains of the species from the region. Cobras did however manage to survive in other regions of Europe and the last known records of Naja romani were found in Solnechnodolsk in the northern Caucasus in strata dating to the late Turolian (MN 13). Notably however, despite being known to preserve a rich and diverse reptile fauna, only a single bone of Naja romani is known from the region, indicating that the species was already declining in this part of the world as well. This pattern of distribution and disappearance matches the climatic changes that occurred in Europe during the Miocene around the same time as the Messinian Salinity Crisis. …
What it does
In a 2017 publication, Pokrant and colleagues note that in rare cases, modern grass snakes and Iberian grass snakes display defensive behavior similar to that of cobras, raising their upper body and flattening it in a way that resembles a cobra's hood. They note that this behavior is not found in other European snakes while further pointing to the fact that there is no significant overlap in grass snake and cobra ranges. The only areas where the two coexist in the modern day are small regions in Tunisia and east of the Caspian Sea in Iran and Turkmenistan. Pokrant and his team argue that this form of mimicry could have developed during the Neogene when Natrix longivertebrata, thought to be the direct ancestor to both modern grass snake species, coexisted in multiple localities with Naja romani and may have imitated the cobra to scare off predators. As this form of mimicry is only effective when the predator is aware of the model species, rearing behavior would have become increasingly ineffective following the extinction of cobras in Central Europe. Pokrant and colleagues argue that the rareness of rearing behavior in grass snakes might indicate that the species are currently in the process of losing this behavior, though it may still be effective against migratory birds that encounter cobras on their travels.
== References ==
In human culture
Naja romani was first described by Hofstetter in the year 1939 on the basis of several cranial and postcranial remains from La Grive-Saint Alban in France. Hofstetter coined the name Palaeonaja romani as well as Palaeonaja crassa. Later Szyndlar & Rage sunk Palaeonaja into the extant Naja while determining that P. crassa does not differ significantly enough to be considered a distinct species. Additional instances of Naja romani were later reported from various localities across Europe. Fossils from Austria had previously been considered to be their own species, Naja austriaca, but were later deemed to be indistinguishable from those of Naja romani. The most recent find assigned to the species was collected in 2009 in the Caucasus and formed the youngest record of Naja romani. The species was named in honor of French geologist Frédéric Roman.
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Naja romani in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 4968129.