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Acanthophis antarcticus (SHAW, 1802)

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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Common death adder
G: Todesotter 
SynonymBoa antarctica SHAW & NODDER 1802: pl. 535
Acanthophis cerastinus DAUDIN 1803: 289
Acanthophis brownii LEACH 1814: 12
Boa ambigua LEACH 1814: 12 (nomen nudum)
Ophryas acanthophis MERREM 1820: 147
Vipera acanthophis SCHLEGEL 1837: 605
Vipera sorda SALVADO 1851: 48
Acanthophis cerastinus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1389
Acanthophis cerastinus — GÜNTHER 1863: 398
Boa aculeata BOULENGER 1896: 356 (nomen nudum)
Acanthophis antarcticus — WERNER 1899
Acanthophis antarcticus — DE ROOIJ 1917: 272
Acanthophis antarcticus — COGGER 1983: 217
Acanthophis schistos WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 44 (nomen nudum)
Acanthophis antarcticus — COGGER 2000: 632
Acanthophis schistos — WELLS 2002
Acanthophis antarcticus cliffrosswellingtoni HOSER 2002 (see comment)
Acanthophis antarcticus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 3
Acanthophis antarcticus — ELLIS et al. 2021 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia),
Papua New Guinea

woolfi: Australia (NW Queensland); Type locality: Mt Isa Area’, Queensland.

Type locality: Australasia [Boa antarctica]
Type locality: unknown [Acanthophis cerastinus]
Type locality: from Sydney (as Port Jackson), N. S. W. [Acanthophis brownii]
Type locality: Australia [Ophryas acanthophis]
Type locality: Australia [Vipera sorda]  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: lost (presumed) (Boa antarctica)
Holotype: lost (presumed) [Acanthophis cerastinus]
Holotype: lost (presumed) [Acanthophis brownii]
Holotype: lost (presumed) [Ophryas acanthophis]
Holotype: unknown [Vipera sorda]
Holotype: QM R61449 (Queensland Museum) [woolfi] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus). Species assigned to the genus Acanthophis are moderately large, stout terrestrial elapid species most similar to vipers (Viperidae) from other continents. Species within the genus have distinctive wide and stout heads anterior to a defined narrowing forebody that rapidly broadens to the widest point towards midbody. Tail slender, distal portion laterally compressed terminating in a tail spine [Maddock et al. 2015].


Additional details (1384 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentThe systematics of this genus requires urgent revision. Several undescribed species are likely to be present, particularly in New Guinea.

Type species: Acanthophis cerastinus DAUDIN 1803 is the type species of the genus Acanthophis DAUDIN 1803.

Subspecies: Acanthophis antarcticus laevis (MACLEAY 1878) and Acanthophis antarcticus rugosus LOVERIDGE 1948 have been elevated to species status.

Synonymy mostly after COGGER 1983. Acanthophis antarcticus cliffrosswelingtoni HOSER 2002 maybe synonymous to A. antarcticus (W. WÜSTER, pers. comm., 15 Dec 2010). Kaiser et al. 2013 considered the subspecies Acanthophis antarcticus cliffrosswelingtoni HOSER 2002 and the genus Aggressiserpens WELLS 2002 invalid and rejected them. See also Ellis et al. 2021 for further details.

Note that the date of SHAW & NODDER’s publication (1794) cited by Boulenger (1896) and subsequent authors is in error fide SHERBORN (1895) [cited in COGGER 1983]. The correct publication year is 1802.

Venomous! 
EtymologyThe genus is named after the Greek words acanthi meaning ‘spine’ and ophis meaning ‘snake’, in reference to the terminal tail spine present on species within the genus. 
References
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  • Böhme, Wolfgang 2024. Schuppenlose Sandvipern, Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) als innerartliches Kreuzungsprodukt? Sauria 46 (1): 47
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  • Bush, B. & Maryan, B. 2006. Snakes and Snake-like Reptiles of Southern Western Australia. Snakes Harmful & Harmless, Stoneville, Perth, Western Australia, 40 pp. - get paper here
  • Carpenter, C.C., J.B. Murphy & G.C. Carpenter 1978. Tail Luring in the Death Adder, Acanthophis antarcticus (Reptilia, Serpentes, Elapidae) Journal of Herpetology 12 (4): 574-577. - get paper here
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  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
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  • ELLIS, RYAN J.; HINRICH KAISER, SIMON T. MADDOCK, PAUL DOUGHTY & WOLFGANG WÜSTER 2021. An evaluation of the nomina for death adders (Acanthophis Daudin, 1803) proposed by Wells & Wellington (1985), and confirmation of A. cryptamydros Maddock et al., 2015 as the valid name for the Kimberley death adder Zootaxa 4995 (1): 161–172 - get paper here
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  • Hoser, R. 2002. Death adders (genus Acanthophis): an updated overview, including description of 3 new island species and 2 new Australian suspecies. Crocodilian, 4 (1): 5-7, 9-11, 14, 16-22, 24-30. - get paper here
  • Hoser, R.T. 1985. On melanistic tendencies in Death adders, Acanthophis antarcticus (Shaw). Litteratura Serpentium 5 (4): 157-159 - get paper here
  • Hoser, Raymond 1998. Colour change in death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus) and other reptiles. Monitor 10 (1): 4; 31 - get paper here
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