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Distribution, Ecological Attributes and Trade of the New Guinea Carpet Python (Morelia Spilota) in Indonesia

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Distribution, Ecological Attributes and Trade of the New Guinea Carpet Python (Morelia Spilota) in Indonesia CSIRO PUBLISHING Australian Journal of Zoology, 2011, 59, 236–241 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ZO11094 Distribution, ecological attributes and trade of the New Guinea carpet python (Morelia spilota) in Indonesia Daniel J. D. Natusch A,B and Jessica A. Lyons A ASchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. BCorresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract. Carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) are medium-sized non-venomous snakes inhabiting most of continental Australia and a small area of New Guinea. They have been relatively well studied in Australia, but little is known about the New Guinea population, even though it is harvested and exported from Indonesia for the international pet trade. In total, 281 locality records were compiled for two distinct populations south of latitude 7S in Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua. Traders in Papua collected 274 carpet pythons (most of which were recently hatched neonates) for the pet trade. Data from a sample of 174 individuals revealed little sexual dimorphism in any traits, although males appear to grow larger than females despite females maturing at greater lengths. Fecundity was high (average 17 eggs) and reproduction was highly seasonal, with hatching in December and January. Harvest quotas for the province of Papua were exceeded in all years between 2000 and 2009 due to 50% of the national quota being allocated to West Papua province where this species is yet to be recorded. The present study provides distribution, trade and ecological information to inform conservation management of this species in Indonesia. Additional keywords: harrisoni, quota, sustainable harvest, wildlife management, wildlife trade. Received 21 November 2011, accepted 27 January 2012, published online 6 March 2012 Introduction The New Guinea carpet python is, however, popular in the The carpet python (Morelia spilota) is a widespread Australasian international pet trade and has been collected from the wild in species whose ecological traits show remarkable variation Indonesia and traded for this purpose since at least 1992 across their range (Shine and Fitzgerald 1995; Pearson et al. (CITES 2011). Indonesia is currently the only country that allows 2002). They are large (to 4 m) snakes and are found in a variety the legal harvest and export of wild carpet pythons, which are of habitats in temperate and tropical Australia (Wilson and listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Swan 2008) and in the Trans-Fly and Port Moresby areas on the Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The island of New Guinea (O’Shea 1996). Studies in Australia have nominated CITES Management Authority in Indonesia, the shown that body sizes and reproductive traits vary considerably Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature, allocates between areas, and one population from south-western Australia annual provincial harvest quotas for all species listed in exhibits the highest degree of sexual size dimorphism in any Appendix II of CITES. Quotas are reviewed annually under the reptile species (Pearson et al. 2002). guidance of the Indonesian Institute of Science to ensure that In contrast to the considerable number of ecological studies harvest levels are not detrimental to the survival of the species of carpet pythons in Australia (e.g. Slip and Shine 1988a, (Siswomartono 1998). In both 2010 and 2011 the harvest 1988b, 1988c; Shine and Fitzgerald 1996; Fearn et al. 2001; quota for carpet pythons was 400 individuals, divided evenly Heard et al. 2004; Pearson et al. 2005; Corey 2007), the New between the provinces of Papua and West Papua (Anon. 2010, Guinea population has received relatively little attention. Hoser 2011). (2000) assigned specific status to New Guinea carpet pythons The current study provides the first data on distribution, and named them Morelia harrisoni. However, because disjunct ecological attributes (i.e. body sizes, reproduction and diet) and distribution was the only information provided by Hoser (2000) trade of carpet pythons in Indonesian New Guinea and compares to justify their differentiation from Australian conspecifics, the this information with that from previous studies of Australian scientific community has been reluctant to adopt the name carpet pythons. The data enable preliminary assessment of the (Wüster et al. 2001). To date, there have been no ecological sustainability of the carpet python trade in Indonesia and can be studies of carpet pythons in New Guinea and even basic used to make more informed conservation management decisions information such as geographic distribution is still not known. regarding this species. Journal compilation Ó CSIRO 2011 www.publish.csiro.au/journals/ajz Ecology of New Guinea carpet pythons Australian Journal of Zoology 237 Materials and methods were found close to the coast in tropical woodlands and were Distribution data for New Guinea carpet pythons were obtained not present further inland where rainforest vegetation was more from visiting villagers who collected snakes, and from dominant. Villagers in Kimaam, on the island of Yos Sudarso published records and specimens in museum registers (Museum (Pulau Dolak), claimed they had never seen carpet pythons on Victoria, Australian Museum Sydney, Queensland Museum, the island despite the occurrence of seemingly suitable habitat. fi Bernice P. Bishop Museum, American Museum of Natural Traders in Merauke con rmed this, claiming they had never History, Californian Academy of Sciences and Museum received carpet pythons from Yos Sudarso despite receiving Zoologicum Bogoriense). other woodland species, such as the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus Villagers and wildlife traders known to collect carpet scutellatus canni). One carpet python specimen, kept in the pythons in the Indonesian province of Papua were visited from Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, supposedly collected in 1920 7 December 2010 to 1 January 2011 and from 1 March 2011 to by Koey from Pionierbivak on the Mamberamo River, may have 15 March 2011. Data were gathered by conducting interviews been incorrectly labelled due to the low probability of such a with villagers and traders to obtain information about how the disjunct distribution (Fig. 1) and lack of suitable woodland trade worked, the number of carpet pythons collected, collection habitat on the Mamberamo River (D. Natusch, pers. obs.). locations, and trade history. In total, 174 carpet pythons in the possession of traders were measured to record: (1) snout-to-vent Harvest length (SVL) and (2) tail length (TL), to the nearest 0.5 cm; During our study we recorded 247 wild-caught carpet (3) head width (HW) and (4) head length (HL) to the nearest pythons collected for the pet trade in the Indonesian province of 0.1 mm, at the widest point and from the tip of the snout to the Papua. Most were collected opportunistically near human base of the skull, respectively; (5) mass, to the nearest 1 g using habitation, or while crossing tracks at night, and taken to traders Pesola spring scales, and (6) sex, by inserting a blunt probe into located in the major port town of Merauke. However, a few the cloacal bursae and recording the depth. Although some snakes were brought from villages situated much further away authors have had difficulty determining sex of carpet pythons (such as Okaba, 100 km). There was no collection bias towards due to recording intermediate probe depths (Barker and either sex (null hypothesis of 50% male: c2 = 0.67, d.f. = 1, Barker 1994), males and females in our study were easily P = 0.41, restricted to individuals captured and not hatched). distinguishable and sex was often corroborated by voluntary Pythons of all sizes were collected; however, most were hemipenal eversion in males. Reproductive maturity was juveniles recently hatched from gravid females. Villagers determined for a sample of snakes either by measuring females collected gravid females and allowed them to lay and brood their found brooding eggs or by dissecting individuals recently killed eggs until hatching. Both the mother and neonates were then sold by local people. Males were recorded to be mature if they had separately to traders. While at traders premises, carpet pythons enlarged turgid testes or convoluted efferent ducts. Females were housed in plastic boxes or cotton bags to await shipment to were mature if they possessed large ovarian follicles (>5 mm) or Jakarta. It was claimed that all carpet pythons observed in this were gravid (sensu Slip and Shine 1988b). Prey types captured study were destined for Indonesian breeding farms and then by carpet pythons were determined by examining stomach exported for the international pet trade. Fig. 2 depicts the number contents or faecal samples. of carpet pythons exported from Indonesia between the years Several females found with clutches were allowed to hatch 2000 and 2009. their eggs and the resulting hatchlings were measured. Simple linear regression was used to test for correlations between Body sizes and morphology maternal body size, clutch size and hatchling traits, while Female carpet pythons attained larger average SVLs than males analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for sex differences (Student’s t-test, t = 4.25, P = 0.001) (Table 1); however, males in the above traits between clutches. Because morphological reach sexual maturity at smaller sizes than females so more traits in adult pythons change with increasing SVL we used small males were represented in the sample. To account for this, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with SVL as the covariate to only the largest 20% of individuals of each sex were compared compare morphological measurements between the sexes. and no significant difference in SVL with sex was found. Variables were log10-transformed where necessary to meet Similarly, sexual dimorphism was not apparent in TL, HL, HW assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance. All or mass relative to SVL (all P > 0.05). The sizes of newly hatched statistical tests were conducted using Minitab 16 software.
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