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Simalia clastolepis (HARVEY, BARKER, AMMERMAN & CHIPPINDALE, 2000)

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Higher TaxaPythonidae, Henophidia, Pythonoidea, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Southern Moluccan python
G: Seram-Python, Goldpython 
SynonymMorelia clastolepis HARVEY, BARKER, AMMERMAN & CHIPPINDALE 2000
Australiasis clastolepis — HOSER 2004
Australiasis clastolepis — HOSER 2009
Morelia clastolepis — DE LANG 2013
Simalia clastolepis — REYNOLDS et al. 2014
Simalia clastolepis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 452
Simalia clastolepis — BARKER et al. 2015: 13 
DistributionIndonesia (Ambon, Seram; likely on Haruku and Saparua).

Type locality: Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: UTA 44486 
Diagnosis 
CommentThis species is closely related to M. amethistina.

Habitat: semi-arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after the Greek words “klastos” (meaning broken into pieces) and “lepis” (meaning scale), alluding to the fractured nature of the cephalic scales. Apparently based on the evolutionary species concept. 
References
  • Akeret, B. 2008. Gefahrenpotenzial Riesenschlangen. Reptilia (Münster) 13 (72): 4-12 - get paper here
  • Bär, R. 2005. Neuere Erkenntnisse zur Nomenklatur des Amethystpythons (Morelia amethistina (SCHNEIDER 1801)) und des Seram-Pythons (Morelia clastolepis (HARVEY et al. 2000)) sowie erstmalige Vorstellung einer weiteren Inselpopulation innerhalb des Morelia-amethist Elaphe 13 (2): 49-51
  • Barker, D. G., Barker, T. M., Davis, M. A. and Schuett, G. W. 2015. A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175 (1): 1-19; doi: 10.1111/zoj.12267 - get paper here
  • Harrington, Sean M; Jordyn M de Haan, Lindsey Shapiro, Sara Ruane 2018. Habits and characteristics of arboreal snakes worldwide: arboreality constrains body size but does not affect lineage diversification. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 125 (1): 61–71 - get paper here
  • Harvey, Michael B., David B. Barker, Loren K. Ammerman and Paul T. Chippindale 2000. Systematics of pythons of the Morelia amethistina complex (Serpentes: Boidae) with the description of three new species. Herpetological Monographs 14: 139-185 - get paper here
  • Lang, Ruud de 2013. The snakes of the Moluccas (Maluku), Indonesia. Edition Chimaira, 417 pp. - get paper here
  • Reynolds, R. Graham; Matthew L. Niemiller, Liam J. Revell 2014. Toward a Tree-of-Life for the boas and pythons: Multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 71: 201–213 [published online in 2013] - get paper here
  • Ukuwela, K.D.B., de Silva, A., Sivaruban, A. et al. 2022. Diversity, distribution, and natural history of the marine snakes of Sri Lanka. Marine Biodiversity 52, 24 (2022) - get paper here
  • 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.
 
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