Pseudechis
| Pseudechis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pseudechis porphyriacus, red-bellied black snake | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Subfamily: | Hydrophiinae |
| Genus: | Pseudechis Wagler, 1830 |
| Species | |
|
At least nine, see text | |
Pseudechis is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. The genus Pseudechis contains the group of elapids species commonly referred to as the black snakes. Species of Pseudechis are found in every Australian state with the exception of Tasmania, and some species are found in Papua New Guinea. They inhabit a variety of habitat types, from arid areas to swampland. All species are dangerous (Pseudechis signifying "like a viper", Greek echis) and can inflict a potentially lethal bite. Most snakes in this genus reach about 2 metres (6.6 feet) in total length (including tail), and vary in colour. Some species are brown, whereas others are black. The most recognisable and widespread species in the genus are the red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and the mulga snake (king brown) (Pseudechis australis). These snakes feed on lizards, frogs, birds, small mammals and even other snakes. All species of Pseudechis lay eggs, except the red-bellied black snake. The genus Pailsus is a synonym of Pseudechis, and more work is needed to understand species limits among the smaller species of the group.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Species
The taxonomy of snakes of the genus Pseudechis is unsettled, with at least one species undescribed; several recent phylogenetic studies have provided evidence of the presence of species beyond the six recognised in most books.[1][2][3][5][8][9][10]
- Pseudechis australis (Gray, 1842) – king brown snake, mulga snake
- Pseudechis butleri L.A. Smith, 1982 – Butler's black snake, Butler's snake, spotted mulga snake
- Pseudechis colletti Boulenger, 1902 – Collett's black snake, Collett's cobra, Collett's snake, Down's tiger snake
- Pseudechis guttatus De Vis, 1905 – blue-bellied black snake, spotted black snake
- Pseudechis pailsei (Hoser, 1998) – eastern dwarf mulga snake, eastern pygmy mulga snake
- Pseudechis papuanus W. Peters & Doria, 1878 – Papuan black snake
- Pseudechis porphyriacus (Shaw, 1794) – Australian black snake, common black snake, red-bellied black snake, redbelly
- Pseudechis rossignolii (Hoser, 2000) – Papuan pygmy mulga snake
- Pseudechis weigeli (Wells & Wellington, 1987) – pygmy king brown snake, pygmy mulga snake
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pseudechis.
References
- 1 2 Maddock, Simon T.; Childerstone, Aaron; Fry, Bryan Grieg; Williams, David J.; Barlow, Axel; Wüster, Wolfgang (2017-02-01). "Multi-locus phylogeny and species delimitation of Australo-Papuan blacksnakes (Pseudechis Wagler, 1830: Elapidae: Serpentes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 48–55. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.09.005.
- 1 2 "Horner, Paul (June 2012). "Genus Pseudechis Wagler, 1830". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy.
- 1 2 Swan, Gerry (1995). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Australia. Sydney: New Holland. ISBN 1-85368-585-2.
- ↑ Pseudechis australis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
- 1 2 Kuch, U.; Keogh, J.S.; Weigel, J.; Smith, L.A.; Mebs, D. (2005). "Phylogeography of Australia's king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) reveals Pliocene divergence and Pleistocene dispersal of a top predator". Naturwissenschaften. 92 (3): 121–127. doi:10.1007/s00114-004-0602-0. PMID 15688185.
- ↑ Wüster W, Dumbrell AJ, Hay C, Pook CE, Williams DJ, Fry BG (2005). "Snakes across the Strait: Trans-Torresian phylogeographic relationships in three genera of Australasian snakes (Serpentes: Elapidae: Acanthophis, Oxyuranus and Pseudechis)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 34 (1): 1–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-03.
superseding; Wüster, W., et al. Phylogeny and classification of Australo-Papuan black snakes and mulga snakes: comments on genus Pailsus Hoser (1998)
- ↑ Wüster W, Golay P, Warrell DA (August 1999). "Synopsis of recent developments in venomous snake systematics, No. 3" (PDF). Toxicon. 37 (8): 1123–9. doi:10.1016/S0041-0101(98)00248-7. PMID 10400296. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-21.
- ↑ Wüster W, Dumbrell AJ, Hay C, Pook CE, Williams DJ, Fry BG (2005). "Snakes across the Strait: Trans-Torresian phylogeographic relationships in three genera of Australasian snakes (Serpentes: Elapidae: Acanthophis, Oxyuranus and Pseudechis)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 34 (1): 1–14.
- ↑ "Reptiles / Squamata / Elapidae / Pseudechis ". Australian Reptile Online Database. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Pseudechis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Genus Pseudechis, pp. 327–328).
- Wagler J (1830). Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Pseudechis, new genus, p. 171). (in German and Latin).