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Oxyuranus microlepidotus (MCCOY, 1879)

IUCN Red List - Oxyuranus microlepidotus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Fierce Snake, Inland Taipan
G: Schreckensotter, Kleinschuppenschlange, Australischer Inlandtaipan 
SynonymDiemenia microlepidota MCCOY 1879
Diemenia ferox MACLEAY 1882: 812
Pseudechis ferox — BOULENGER 1896
Pseudechis microlepidotus — BOULENGER 1896: 332
Parademansia microlepidota — KINGHORN 1955
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — COVACEVICH et al. 1981
Oxyuranus scutellatus microlepidotus
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — WELCH 1994: 97
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — COGGER 2000: 662
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — MATTISON 2007: 260
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 521
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — MIRTSCHIN et al. 2017
Oxyuranus microlepidotus — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 170 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria)

Type locality: "junction of Murray and Darling," [Rivers, northwestern Victoria, Australia].  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype, NMV D12354 (orig. 493 and R 12871) (W. Blandowski), designated by Coventry, 1970: 121. 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 720 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous! Maybe the most venomous snake of the world. The toxin from one bite may be sufficient to kill 250,000 mice (PREISSLER 2004).

Abundance: Rare. This is one of the species called 'lost' and 'rediscovered' by Lindken et al. 2024. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek mikros (= small) + lepidotos (= scaled), referring to the relatively small scales on its back. 
References
  • Brischoux F, Pizzatto L, Shine R. 2010. Insights into the adaptive significance of vertical pupil shape in snakes. J Evol Biol. 23(9): 1878-85. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Covacevich J & Wombey, J 1976. Recognition of Parademansia microlepidotus (McCoy), Elapidae, a dangerous Australian snake. Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 87:29-32
  • Covacevich, J., McDowell, S.B., Tanner, C. & Mengdon, G. 1980. The relationship of the taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) and the small-scaled snake (O. microlepidotus), Serpentes: Elapidae. Proc. Aust. Herp. Symposium (Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, Parkville): 160-168.
  • Eipper T & Eipper S 2024. SNAKES OF AUSTRALIA. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford, 368 pp. - get paper here
  • Kinghorn, J.R. 1955. Herpetological notes. No. 5. Rec. Austral. Mus. 23: 283-286 - get paper here
  • Laita, Mark 2013. Serpentine. Abrams and PQ Blackwell, Auckland, New Zealand, 200 unnumbered pages
  • Lindken T.; Anderson, C. V., Ariano-Sánchez, D., Barki, G., Biggs, C., Bowles, P., Chaitanya, R., Cronin, D. T., Jähnig, S. C., Jeschke, J. M., Kennerley, R. J., Lacher, T. E. Jr., Luedtke, J. A., Liu, C., Long, B., Mallon, D., Martin, G. M., Meiri, 2024. What factors influence the rediscovery of lost tetrapod species? Global Change Biology, 30: 1-18 - get paper here
  • Macleay, W. 1882. Description of two new species of snakes. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 6: 811-813 - get paper here
  • Mattison, Chris 2007. The New Encyclopedia of Snakes. Princeton University Press
  • McCoy, F. 1879. Diemenia superciliosa (Fischer) The common brown snake; Diemenia microlepidota (McCoy) Small-scaled brown snake, Diemenia aspidorhyncha (McCoy) The shield-fronted brown snake. [...] Prod. Zool. Vict. 3: 11-13. - get paper here
  • Mirtschin, P. J.; Reid, R. B. 1982. Occurrence and distribution of the Inland Taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotus (Reptilia: Elapidae) in South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of Australia 106:213-214. - get paper here
  • Mirtschin, P., Rasmussen, A.R. & Weinstein, S.A. 2017. Australia’s Dangerous snakes. CSIRO Publishing, 424 pp. - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Preißler, D. 2004. Alles über Schlangen. Draco 5 (17): 4-21 - get paper here
  • Read J L. 1994. A major range extension and new ecological data on Oxyuranus microlepidotus (Reptilia: Elapidae). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 118 (1-2): 143-145 - get paper here
  • Seung Hoon, Cha 2012. Snake, the world most beautifull curve [in Korean]. Hownext, 304 pp. [ISBN 978-89-965656-7-3] - get paper here
  • Strimple, Peter D.;Covacevich, Jeanette 1997. The Taipans of Australia & New Guinea. Reptiles 5 (12): 32-45
  • Swan, G.; Sadlier, R.; Shea, G. 2017. A field guide to reptiles of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, 328 pp.
  • Wachtel, Eric 2018. Ein Traum wird wahr: 6 Monate unterwegs durch Australien. Ophidia 12 (2): 12-23
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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