First Record of Banded Krait, Bungarus fasciatus (Schneider, 1801), (Reptilia: Elapidae), from Guru Ghasidas National Park, Koriya District, Chhattisgarh, India

The present communication reports the occurrence of Banded Krait for the first time from Guru Ghasidas National Park (GGNP) as well as Koriya district of Chhattisgarh. This also represents the significant north western range extension of the species in Chhattisgarh. While undertaking the faunal survey of Protected Areas of Chhattisgarh, banded krait was sighted at the Amapani beat, Sonhat range (23°35'12.7”, 82°29'20.7”) of Guru Ghasidas National Park at night (10:30 PM) on 23^rd May 2012 (Fig. 1). The snake was observed while it was crossing a narrow road from a paddy field to a water body on the opposite side.