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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]
Bibliography of the genus Pseudechis
Biodiversity of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]








Genus
Pseudechis

Australian Black Snakes and King Brown Snakes

Schwarzottern

Australske Sortslanger, Mulgaslanger og Kongebrunslanger

1830 Alecto Wagler [not Alecto Leach 1851 (Echinodermata), not Alecto Lamouroux 1821 (Bryozoa)] (type species: Trimeresurus leptocephalus Lacepede 1804)
1830 Pseudechis Wagler (type species: Coluber porphyriacus Shaw 1794)
1984 Cannia Wells & Wellington (type species: Naja australis Gray 1842)
1985 Panacedechis Wells & Wellington (type species: Panacedechis worrelli Wells & Wellington 1985; syn. Shea & Sadlier 1999)
1998 Pailsus Hoser (type species: Pailsus rossignolii Hoser 1998; syn. Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005)
Contents: 9 species, of which 8 (88.9%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: New Guinea, Australia.
Reported from: Australia (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland [incl. Fraser Island, Torres Strait Islands], South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia), Indonesia (Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea (Eastern New Guinea).

Pseudechis australis

King Brown Snake, Common Mulga Snake

Gewöhnliche Mulgaschlange

Kongebrunslange

1842 Naja australis Gray
Pseudechis australis Günther 1863
Cannia australis Wells & Wellington 1985
1878 Pseudechis darwiniensis Macleay (Golay & al. 1993)
1909 Pseudechis denisonioides Werner (Golay & al. 1993)
Cannia denisonioides Wells & Wellington 1984
1933 Pseudechis platycephalus Thompson (Golay & al. 1993)
1951 Denisonia brunnea Mitchell (Golay & al. 1993)
Cannia brunnea Wells & Wellington 1984
1985 Cannia centralis Wells & Wellington (Shea & Sadlier 1999)

Remarks: Previously included weigeli. The New Guinean population assigned to australis in older literature refer to rossignolii (Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005). Other species are most likely contained within the species australis as currently understood (Kuch, Keogh, Weigel, Smith & Mebs 2005; Maddock, Childerstone, Fry, Williams, Barlow & Wüster 2017).
Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland [incl. Torres Strait Islands], South Australia, Western Australia).


Pseudechis australis
© Rune Midtgaard

Pseudechis butleri

Spotted Mulga Snake, Yellow-bellied Black Snake, (Butler's Snake)

Gefleckte Mulgaschlange

Plettet Mulgaslange

1982 Pseudechis butleri Smith
Cannia butleri Wells & Wellington 1985

Distribution: Australia (Western Australia).


Pseudechis butleri
© Rune Midtgaard

Pseudechis colletti

Reddish Black Snake, (Collett's Snake, Down's Tiger Snake)

Rötliche Schwarzotter

Rødlig Sortslange, (Colletts Sortslange)

1902 Pseudechis colletti Boulenger
Cannia colletti Wells & Wellington 1984
Panacedechis colletti Wells & Wellington 1985

Distribution: Australia (Queensland).


Pseudechis colletti
© Rune Midtgaard

Pseudechis guttatus

Spotted Black Snake, Blue-bellied Black Snake

Gefleckte Schwarznatter

Plettet Sortslange

1905 Pseudechis guttata De Vis
Pseudechis colletti guttatus Worrell 1961
Panacedechis guttatus Wells & Wellington 1985
1911 Pseudechis mortonensis De Vis (Golay & al. 1993)
1985 Panacedechis worrelli Wells & Wellington (Shea & Sadlier 1999)

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).


Pseudechis guttatus
© Rune Midtgaard

Pseudechis pailsi

Eastern Dwarf Mulga Snake, False King Brown Snake, False Mulga Snake

Östliche Zwerg-Braunschlange

Østlig Dværgbrunslange

1998 Pailsus pailsei Hoser
Pailsus pailsi [justified emendation] Wüster, Bush, Keogh, O'Shea & Shine 2001
Pseudechis pailsi Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of australis. Validity as a separate species confirmed by Maddock, Childerstone, Fry, Williams, Barlow & Wüster (2017). Considered endemic to Queensland herein, since the taxonomic status of Northern Territory records is uncertain (Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005; Cogger 2014). Correct spelling of specific epithet is pailsi, according to Wüster, Bush, Keogh, O'Shea & Shine (2001), however, the spelling pailsei is still used by some authors (e.g., Cogger 2014).
Distribution: Australia (Queensland).


Pseudechis papuanus

Papuan Black Snake

Papuanische Schwarzotter

Papuansk Sortslange

1878 Pseudechis papuanus Peters & Doria
Panacedechis papuanus Hoser 2009

Distribution: Australia (Queensland [incl. Torres Strait Islands]), Indonesia (Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea (Eastern New Guinea).


Pseudechis porphyriacus

Red-bellied Black Snake

Rotbäuchige Schwarzotter

Rødbuget Sortslange

1794 Coluber porphyriacus Shaw
Duberria porphyriaca Fitzinger 1826
Pseudechis porphyriacus Günther 1863
Pseudechis porphyriacus Hutchinson 1990
1804 Trimeresurus leptocephalus Lacepede (Golay & al. 1993)
1820 Coluber porphyreus Merrem (Golay & al. 1993)
Naja porphyrea Schlegel 1844
Trimeresurus porphyreus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854
1830 Acanthophis tortor Lesson in Duperrey (Golay & al. 1993)
1837 Naja porphyrica Schlegel (Golay & al. 1993)
Trimeresurus porphyricus Guérin-Méneville 1844

Distribution: Australia (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland [incl. Fraser Island], South Australia, Victoria).


Pseudechis porphyriacus
© Rune Midtgaard

Pseudechis rossignolii

Papuan Brown Snake

Papuanische Braunotter

Papuansk Brunslange

2000 Pailsus rossignolii Hoser
Pseudechis rossignolii Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005

Remarks: Previously regarded as a New Guinean population of australis (e.g., O’Shea 1996). Validity as a separate species confirmed by Maddock, Childerstone, Fry, Williams, Barlow & Wüster (2017). Although reported from the Papua New Guinean part of the island (e.g., Scott 1977; Parker 1982; Whitaker, Whitaker & Mills 1982 [as australis]), only a possible sighting record exist from the country so far, however, the species may occur in the country, near the border to Western New Guinea.
Distribution: Indonesia (Western New Guinea).


Pseudechis weigeli

Western Dwarf Mulga Snake, Western Pygmy Mulga Snake, (Weigel's Black Snake)

Westliche Zwerg-Braunotter

Vestlig Dværgbrunslange

1988 Cannia weigeli Wells & Wellington
Pailsus weigeli Hoser 2002
Pseudechis weigeli Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of australis by some authors (e.g., Shea & Sadlier 1999; Wilson & Swan 2010; Wallach, Williams & Boundy 2014), but as a valid species by others (e.g., Wüster, Dumbrell, Hay, Pook, Williams & Fry 2005; Wilson & Swan 2010; Cogger 2014; Maddock, Childerstone, Fry, Williams, Barlow & Wüster 2017). A record from Queensland (Wilson & Swan 2010) seems to have been based on pailsi, a species these authors did not recognize.
Distribution: Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia).


Pseudechis weigeli
© Rune Midtgaard