Simalia clastolepis (HARVEY, BARKER, AMMERMAN & CHIPPINDALE, 2000)
Find more photos by Google images search: 
Higher Taxa | Pythonidae, Henophidia, Pythonoidea, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Southern Moluccan python G: Seram-Python, Goldpython |
Synonym | Morelia 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 |
Distribution | Indonesia (Ambon, Seram; likely on Haruku and Saparua).
Type locality: Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
|
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Holotype: UTA 44486 |
Diagnosis | |
Comment | This species is closely related to M. amethistina.
Habitat: semi-arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). |
Etymology | Named 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
- 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.
|
External links |
|
Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator