Historically, what was the forest cobra recognized as within the *Naja* genus before the taxonomic revision?

Answer

The largest species

Before the finding that the group comprised five distinct species, the forest cobra, under its historical understanding, was universally recognized as the largest species within the *Naja* genus.

Historically, what was the forest cobra recognized as within the *Naja* genus before the taxonomic revision?
Forestreptilesnakecobra