Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
The equatorial spitting cobra has geographically variable venom. Comparative research helps explain why findings from one population cannot simply be transferred to another.
OccurrenceConfirmed
Islands named2
Natural history4 sourced topics
References5
Literature updated 2026-10-07 · Editorial review pending
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
The illustrated collection
Adult & juvenile
Adult · study plate
Naja sumatrana
Image to follow
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
Juvenile · study plate
Naja sumatrana
Image to follow
Reserved for a contributor imageCredit and usage rights will accompany the image.
Life stages will be labelled from the contributor’s information. Images alone do not establish identification or a locality record.
Media provenance
Every image carries its source.
Contributor images are forthcoming. Photographs and illustrations will retain their individual credits, permissions and evidence notes.
One species · Across borders
Global distribution
Countries and territories named in the checked sources. Island links and country lists use these same occurrence records; a country record does not imply presence on every island.
Checked 7 October 2026. Listed, introduced and uncertain records remain distinct. Islands not yet indexed are not claims of absence. Broad references such as “Borneo” or “New Guinea” are not automatically assigned to every country sharing the island.
Indonesian locality notes and qualifications
Sumatra
Sumatra, Bangka and Belitung.
Kalimantan
Explicit field-survey evidence from Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan, and an oil-palm estate in East Kalimantan. These are Indonesian records, not an inference from Malaysian Borneo.
Kalimantan coverage is supported by field records from Indonesian Borneo, not by extrapolating Malaysian localities.
The accepted authority is Müller, 1887; the 2026 synthesis contains a conflicting year in its heading.
Sumatra supported. Indonesian Kalimantan confirmed by field records; source specimen text mislabels Sarawak as Indonesian.
A closer look
Natural history & identification
Venom research
Three-finger toxins and phospholipases A₂ are major venom components. A 2022 comparison found substantial differences in alpha-neurotoxin abundance between samples from four locations.
Geographic venom variation · 2022 study
Comparative venom proteomics and experimental cross-neutralisation.
Antivenom findings
Thai Naja kaouthia monovalent antivenom cross-neutralised venom lethality to differing degrees in experimental tests.
Clinical interpretation These results do not establish a Philippine patient dose or effectiveness against Palawan envenoming.
Percentage of total venom proteins in the studied samples, not population averages or a Palawan venom profile.
Malaysia, southern Thailand and Sumatra; no Palawan sample.
Reproduction
The species account records egg-laying reproduction. A verified Philippine clutch-size range, incubation interval and breeding calendar are not established here.
Reproductive mode reported for this named species.
Mode alone does not establish litter or clutch size, seasonal timing, or captive husbandry requirements.
Philippine distribution
The atlas records Naja sumatrana from these named Philippine areas: Palawan, Calamian. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
Literature documented · Existing checklist occurrence statement and distribution review
The original evidence level is retained.
A country listing cannot establish an island or a precise locality.
Taxonomic context
Naja sumatrana is retained in the atlas’s dated checklist under Elapidae. The authority is MÜLLER 1887. Earlier names and the original source notes are preserved below for comparison.
Literature documented · Checklist identity and nomenclatural trail
Checklist verified 2026-09-05; not a newly revised taxonomic backbone.
Historical names can cover different biological concepts; synonyms should not be used to transfer records automatically.
Across the archipelago
Where this species is recorded
PhilippinesN ↑
Documented islands: gold · island groups: dashed circles
Island-level records · not continuous habitat coverage. Dashed circles locate groups, not individual observations.
Philippine distribution
Documented places
2 named islands / island groups
Select an island to read its distribution record and sources. Uncoloured islands are not evidence of absence.
Distribution record & sources
Malaysia (Peninsula, East Malaysia, Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Tioman), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo, Bangka, Belitung),
Philippines (Palawan: Calamian Islands etc.)
Type locality: Solok, Sumatra.
The atlas records Naja sumatrana from these named Philippine areas: Palawan, Calamian. These are literature areas rather than a continuous range boundary.
Observe from a distance. Do not handle, corner or capture a snake to identify it. An incomplete venom account is not evidence that a species is safe to handle.
After a suspected snakebite, keep the person still and arrange urgent medical care. Avoid tight tourniquets, cutting, suction and unproven remedies. Do not wait to identify the snake before seeking help.
Equatorial Spitting cobra, Golden Spitting Cobra · Äquatoriale Speikobra, Sumatra-Kobra
Authority
MÜLLER 1887
Year described
1887
Taxonomic status
Accepted species
Family
Elapidae
Genus
Naja
Species epithet
sumatrana
Persistent ID
PH-SERP-7CE97CB5F4
Checklist checked
2026-09-05
Philippine occurrence
Status
Present
Confidence
Confirmed
Basis
2018 Philippine synopsis treatment plus current RDB listing
Islands named
Palawan, Calamian
Range noteCountry/island text is not a range polygon or locality record.
Source distribution statement
Malaysia (Peninsula, East Malaysia, Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Tioman), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo, Bangka, Belitung),
Philippines (Palawan: Calamian Islands etc.)
Type locality: Solok, Sumatra.
Venomous!
Distribution: Populations from the Malayan Peninsula were for a long time referred to as Naja naja sputatrix, those from Borneo as Naja naja miolepis. For a map see Shi et al. 2022: 3 (Fig. 1).
N. tripudans var. nigra: type: ZMB 7098, terra typica: Sarawak Borneo Indonesia, leg Doria.
References attached to this record
2026
The Reptile Database — species checklist, 17 June 2026
Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) from Malaysia (Negeri Sembilan and Penang), Southern Thailand, and Sumatra: Comparative Venom Proteomics, Immunoreactivity and Cross-Neutralization by Antivenom
Tan, C. H.; Tan, K. Y.; Wong, K. Y.; Tan, N. H.; Chong, H. P.
Naja sumatrana — The Reptile Database species account
Uetz, P.; Hallermann, J. et al. (editors)
Public species fields consulted for bounded biological summaries. Primary sources quoted within the database were not independently examined unless explicitly stated. The catalogue name may differ from the current source title.