As part of a DNA study of the Lake Cronin snake (see below), Keogh et al. (2000) also investigated the affinities of the Australian elapids Elapognathus minor and Drysdalia coronata. Drysdalia coronata was found to be much more closely related to E. minor than to other species of Drysdalia. As a result, Keogh et al. assigned it to the genus Elapognathus. Its current name is thus Elapognathus coronatus.

• Keogh, J.S., I.A.W. Scott & J.D. Scanlon (2000) Molecular phylogeny of viviparous Australian elapid snakes: affinities of Echiopsis atriceps (Storr, 1980) and Drysdalia coronata (Schlegel, 1837), with description of a new genus. Journal of Zoology, London 252: 317-326. Adobe Acrobat file downloadable here

Rasmussen & Ineich (2000) described a new species of sea snake of the genus Hydrophis from New Caledonia. Hydrophis laboutei is a reltively stout-bodied, moderately small-headed species. Only two specimens are known.

• Rasmussen, Arne Redsted and Ivan Ineich. 2000. Sea snakes of New Caledonia and surrounding waters (Serpentes: Elapidae): first report on the occurrence of Lapemis curtus and description of a new species from the genus Hydrophis. Hamadryad 25: 91-99.

Campbell (2000) described a new species of coral snake, Micrurus pachecogili, from the highlands of southern Puebla State, México. Nothing is known of the venom of this new form. Micrurus species are generally responsible for few bites, but the fatality rate is relatively high.

• Campbell, J.A. (2000) A new species of venomous coral snake (Serpentes: Elapidae) from high desert in Puebla, Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 113: 291-297.

Slowinski & Wüster (2000) described a new species of spitting cobra, Naja mandalayensis, from the area around the city of Mandalay, central Myanmar (Burma). Previously, the only cobra known from Burma was the monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia. Naja mandalayensis differs from that species in having a dark throat (in adults), in having a spectacle-shaped hood mark (some juveniles) or lacking a hoodmark altogether, and in being able to spit with ease (exceptional in N. kaouthia). Antivenom production in Burma is focused on Naja kaouthia. Studies on the effectiveness of existing Burmese antivenoms against the venom of Naja mandalayensis are urgently required. Further photos available here and here.See also Asiatic Cobra Systematics page

• Slowinski, J.B. & W. Wüster (2000) A new species of cobra (Elapidae: Naja) from Myanmar (Burma). Herpetologica 56: 257-270. pdf

Keogh et al. (2000) examined the phylogenetic position of the Lake Cronin snake, most commonly known as Echiopsis atriceps, but also classified into a number of different genera by different authors since its discovery in 1980. The species showed no close affinities with Echiopsis curta, being instead most closely related to the broad-headed snakes, Hoplocephalus. Since the Lake Cronin snake is nonetheless highly distinct from Hoplocephalus, Keogh et al. assigned it to a new genus, Paroplocephalus, of which it is the only species.

• Keogh, J.S., I.A.W. Scott & J.D. Scanlon (2000) Molecular phylogeny of viviparous Australian elapid snakes: affinities of Echiopsis atriceps (Storr, 1980) and Drysdalia coronata (Schlegel, 1837), with description of a new genus. Journal of Zoology, London 252: 317-326. Adobe Acrobat file downloadable here

Hoser (2000) described a new species of "Pailsus" from the Merauke region of Irian Jaya (the Indonesian part of New Guinea), Pailsus rossignolii. This is the species previously discussed as the New Guinea population of Pseudechis australis (e.g., O'Shea, 1996). As in the case of Hoser's description of Pailsus pailsei, the description of this species provides insufficient evidence to be evaluated independently, and as in the case of his Acanthophis review, there are ethical problems surrounding this description. For further comments, see Wüster et al. (2001).

• Hoser, R. (2000) A new species of snake (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Irian Jaya. Litteratura Serpentium 20: 178-186.
• O'Shea, M. (1996) A Guide to the Snakes of Papua New Guinea. Independent Publishing, Port Moresby.
• Wüster, W., B. Bush, J.S. Keogh, M. O'Shea & R. Shine (2001) Taxonomic contributions in the "amateur" literature: comments on recent descriptions of new genera and species by Raymond Hoser. Litteratura Serpentium 21: 67-79, 86-91. (Acrobat version of submitted manuscript available here)