[1][3] The preferred natural habitat of N. multifasciata is marshy areas of forest, at elevations up to 800 m (2,600 ft).

The body is moderately slender with a short tail ending in a blunt spike.

[2] The genus Paranaja was synonymised with Naja in a recent molecular phylogenetic study, as this species is closely related to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca) [5] Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

[2] Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Naja.

The subspecific name, duttoni, is in honor of British parasitologist Joseph Everett Dutton.