Demansia vestigiata (DE VIS, 1884)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Demansia vestigiata?
Demansia vestigiata
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| Higher Taxa | Elapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Black whip snake |
| Synonym | Hoplocephalus vestigiatus DE VIS 1884 Diemenia atra MACLEAY 1884: 549 Demansia superba BOULENGER 1896 Diemenia maculiceps BOETTGER 1898 (fide COGGER 1983) Demansia atra COGGER 1975 Demansia atra — STORR 1978: 299 Demansia vestigiata HUTCHINSON 1990 Demansia atra — WELCH 1994: 53 Demansia vestigiata — WELCH 1994: 53 Demansia atra — SHINE 1994 Demansia atra — COGGER 2000: 639 Demansia vestigiata — SHEA & SCANLON 2007 Demansia vestigiata — WILSON & SWAN 2010 Demansia vestigiata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 215 Demansia vestigiata — MIRTSCHIN et al. 2017 |
| Distribution | S Papua New Guinea, Australia (Northern Territory, N Queensland, Western Australia) Type locality: Ingham, Queensland, Australia. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: QM J206 (vestigiata) Syntypes: AM B5941, AM R31920 [atra] Holotype, SMF 20498 [maculiceps] |
| Diagnosis | Description: Light to dark brown to black dorsal scales. Lateral scales are lighter with dark edging, which are lighter in the centre forming an impressive net-like pattern, especially around the neck. Light coloured post- and pre-ocular scales. Iris is red and pupil is black. Lighter around the margin of the mouth on supralabial scales, and on the whole surface of the infralabials. Mid body scales in 15 rows; ventrals 160–220, anal is divided, subcaudals 70–95 all divided (Cogger 2014). Diagnosis (atra): A large blackish Demansia, distinguishable from D. papuensis melaena by its black-edged anterior ventrals, unspotted head, dark-sutured temporals, lesser size and fewer ventrals and subcaudals (Storr 1978: 299) |
| Comment | Synonymy: Smith and Wallach 1997 proposed to conserve the specific name of Demansia atra (Macleay, 1884, (published 29 November)). The name is threatened by the synonym Hoplocephalus vestigiatus De Vis, 1884 (published 13 September) the latter of which was published two months earlier but remained unused until 1990. Distribution: D. papuensis is now believed to be confined to Australia, despite its name, and D.atra in NG is now known as D. vestigata (Mark O’Shea and John Pilgrim, pers. comm.; SHEA & SCANLON 2007). Venomous! |
| Etymology | Named after its color, Latin “ater, atra, atrum” = dark or black. |
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