~ New Species of Snake from Irian Jaya (Serpentes: Elapidae)
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~ NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE FROM IRIAN JAYA (SERPENTES: ELAPIDAE) Raymond Hoser cribed in 1998 as Pailsus pailsei sp. nov. (Hoser 1998) from northern Australia. ABSTRACT This placement also reflected opinions expressed by a The purpose of this paper is to describe a new species number of diverse authors, including Greer (1997), of snake from the Island of Papua. The species is an Shea, Shine and Covacevich (1993) and Wells and elapid member of the genus Pailsus Hoser 1998. It is Wellington (l 985a) to the effect that Pseudechis as understood that the snake has been erroneously la then recognised by most authors actually consisted of belled by many herpetologists as a New Guinea variant more than one genus. This paper also gives all cur of the King Brown (or Mulga) Snake (Cannia australis). rently available information about the newly described species including pointers as to where further speci Snakes of the genus (annia (Wells and Wellington mens may be found, directions for further research 1983) were formerly included in the genus Pseudechis. and other matters. For the rest of this paper, King Brown Snakes (Cannia australis), will be identified by this name (including PAILSUS ROSSIGNOLll SP. NOV. older references that use the name Pseudechis), al though many readers may wish to mentally inter Holotype: An adult specimen (no. 364) of l 05 cm change the name Cannia with the more familiar (but total length lodged at Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, now improper) name Pseudechis. The generic name Balai Penelitian don Pengembangan Zoologi Puslit Pseudechis now applies only to Red-bellied Black bang Biologi - UPI, JI. Raya Bogor Jakarta Km 46, Snakes (P. porphyriacus) of Eastern Australia. Cibinong 16911, Indonesia. The animal has 54 single subcaudal scales. The locality of collection is given as The newly described species is typical of the genus Pail "New Guinea", but to date the species is only known sus. These snakes have head and body scalation and from the south of the Island in the general region of coloration similar to that of Cannia australis, from Merauke Lat 8!! 30' Long 140!! 20' and areas a short northern Australia, while having a physical build more distance west of here along the coast. akin to that of Brown Snakes (genus Pseudonaja). This similarity with Pseudonaja is most apparent in the size Diagnosis: For many years this species has apparent of the head, which is proportionately smaller than on ly been misidentified and confused with the King all other snakes currently assigned to the genus Cannia Brown Snake ((annia australis) and possibly snakes of and related groups. This author regards the new the genus Pseudonaja. It is not known if the species is species as being most closely related to the snake des- sympatric with either. All species are relatively large, LITIERATURA SERPENTIUM 2000 VOLUME 20 NO 6 A NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE FROM IRIAN JAYA nondescript in appearance and smooth-scaled species dais (Richard West, pers. comm), further indicating of brownish dorsal coloration. There are few if any that Australian and New Guinea specimens can be se prominent markings. The species seems to be most like parated by their subcaudal counts, (49-58 for New Pailsus pailsei, from which it can be separated defini Guinea animals known versus 69-75 for Australian tively by the following: animals known). It is also likely that P. rossignolii sp. nov. and P. pailsei * Distribution: This species is known only from the is can be separated by colouration. Specimens of P. land of New Guinea, Pailsus pailsei is known only rossignolii seen appear to be slightly darker in coloura from Australia and possibly Groote Eylandt, imme tion. However the samples of both species inspected to diately adjacent to the Northern Territory Coast (refer to Hoser 1999b, for details on the Groote Ey date are small and later examinations of further spe landt and West Australian reports).The two species cimens may find these traits as being unreliable indi can be separated by DNA analysis. cators for separating the species. *The subcaudal count for P. rossignolii observed is sub stantially less than for P. pailsei, (under 60 in P. ros Pailsus rossignolii (and P. pailseij are separated from signolii (see later this paper) versus 69 in the only Cannia australis by the following characters: two definitively known P. pailseij but until a greater number of specimens are checked, the differences observed so far may not remain consistent. We have *A more slender and gracile build, particularly around an unconfirmed report of a third Australian Pailsus the head and neck, which is nowhere near as broad. from near Wyndham, WA having 75 single subcau- *A smaller adult size, SorOf19o e!ayapura AL AY ARC HIP ELAGO : Wewak BISMA R CK SEA Sepik 0 PAPUA NE W GUINEA Q ""~ - ; U I BAND A BEA N 0 Madahg M 0 L U C C A S i. N 0 N E s A •i ·~:;t_' ARAFl1 R A &EA ~ · - p ulf ,o'f. •J P(}. pua Mera LI kePort Moresby0 TIMOR SE.A 'DarWiri c Pine Creek 0 Katherine 0 Gulf of Ouptmtaria 179 *Asmaller less broad and/or distinct head. single. (Refer to Hoser (1998) for a comparison The body mass differences between the genera are between Australian Pailsus and Australian Cannia substantial. To date Cannia is known to regularly ex subcaudal scale counts). ceed 2.5 metres, more than double the length known for Pailsus. Noting the more thick-set nature of Cania, References in the literature to some Cannia australis this would translate as a mass difference between the having no paired subcaudals (e.g. Cogger 1992, Wil genera of a vast magnitude. son and Knowles 1988) may in fact be erroneously re ferring to snakes of the genus Pailsus and this possi bility should be investigated. Worrell (1972) and Hoser Pailsus rossignolii (and P. pailse'1 can be reliably be (1989) do not give (annia australis as ever having all separated from Cannia australis from northern Aus single subcaudals. Further investigation of all speci tralia and north-western Queensland (where both gen mens in Australia lodged in Museums currently classi era occur) by the lack of paired subcaudals (under l 0) fied as Cannia australis is required to help clarify tax when compared with local Cannia australis (over l 0). onomy of C. australis, Pailsus rossignolii, Pailsus pailsei If C. australis do in fact occur on the island of New and similar species. To conduct such a survey was be Guinea, then one would expect specimens to have yond the means of this author with regards to time similar subcaudal patterns in terms of paired versus constraints and other commitments. Pailsus rossignolii sp. nov. from Merauke, Irion Joya: Photo: Joe Marra LITTERATURA SERPENTIUM 2000 VOLUME 20 NO 6 A NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE FROM IRIAN JAYA Poilsus rossignolii can be separated from Pseuclono;o * All hybrid Australasian snakes seen by this author, in by the following: cluding Aconthophis howkei XA. loncosteri, Morelio spiloto XMorelia amethistino and Morelia spilota X *Atypical lack of paired subcaudals versus all or main Liasis fuscus have always had scalation intermediate ly divided in Pseuclono;a, between the parents. This is not the case for Pailsus *The lack of orange or brown ventral markings, rossignolii. From the data presented in this paper and *It's whitish coloured rostral. Hoser (1998), it is evident that it is in fact Cannia austrolis (definitely not a hybrid snake) that appears Suggestions made that Poilsus rossignolii or any other to have what could be termed scalation intermediate Poilsus species may be a "hybrid" between Connio ou between Pseuclono;a and Pails us, at least with ref e rence to the number of paired or single subcaudals. and a must be dismissed on the fol- strolis Pseuclono;a *Pailsus and Cannia are sympatric in the Mount Isa lowing grounds: ' Area of Queensland demonstrating that they are *There is no evidence of any such hybridisation oc- specifically distinct and do not cross-breed in the curring. wild state. Pailsus rossignolii sp. nov. from Merauke, Irion Jaya: Photo: Joe Marra 181 HABITAT OF TYPE LOCALITY None came anywhere near the two metres or more at tributed to adult C. australis from northern Australia New Guinea has diverse habitats. However the species (Yuwono 2000, personal communication). is only known from drier habitats such as Savannah woodlands, like that around the Merauke area in lrian All specimens of P. rossignollii had all subcaudals single Jaya, which to date is where most specimens of this (range being 49-58) (N=3, exact no.s 49, 54, 58). species have been collected. Merauke is known for it's The snakes are believed to have been sourced from concentration of "Australian-type" herpetofauna not Merauke, lrian Jaya, where they are understood to be found elsewhere in New Guinea, or with restricted dis reasonably common. tribution on the Island. It is likely that there are no King Brown Snakes (C. aus FURTHER INFORMATION OF RELE tralis) in New Guinea and all records for this species on VANCE TO THIS DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION that island should be treated as doubtful, pending fur ther investigations. Also see the comments on this below. Asearch of live and preserved collections in Europe and Asia revealed a number of specimens of this species Worrell (1972) refers to a doubtful record for C. australis that had been incorrectly identified as King Brown from Dutch New Guinea. That may in fact be for P. rossig Snakes (" Cannia australis''). These included animals nolii sp. nov. The material in O'Shea (1996) dealing with held by Wolfgang Schneyer from Mannheim and Hen King Brown Snakes clearly relies at least in part, on infor ning Schulz from Berlin, Bend Weizel in Germany, and mation based on Australian specimens.