Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis

This report documents a case of envenomation by a Malagasy opisthoglyphous snake, Langaha madagascariensis. The snake bit the finger of a healthy adult man who was attempting to record its morphological measurements as part of a biodiversity survey which was being conducted in the extreme north of M...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
Main Author: NC D'Cruze
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SciELO 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992008000300014
https://doaj.org/article/fbc9029505444bc89d26c36e924e6f7f
Description
Summary:This report documents a case of envenomation by a Malagasy opisthoglyphous snake, Langaha madagascariensis. The snake bit the finger of a healthy adult man who was attempting to record its morphological measurements as part of a biodiversity survey which was being conducted in the extreme north of Madagascar. Symptoms of this case included severe local pain accompanied by observable swelling which lasted for several days. The present observations indicate that bite by L. madagascariensis potentially causes notable physiological effects in humans although the snake is generally calm and reluctant to bite unless provoked.