Acrochordus arafurae MCDOWELL, 1979
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Acrochordus arafurae?
Acrochordus arafurae
Find more photos by Google images search: 
| Higher Taxa | Acrochordidae, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Arafura filesnake |
| Synonym | Acrochordus arafurae MCDOWELL 1979: 75 Acrochordus arafurae — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 226 Acrochordus arafurae — COGGER 2000: 615 Acrochordus arafurae — WILSON & SWAN 2010 Acrochordus arafurae — WALLACH et al. 2014: 7 Acrochordus arafurae — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 26 Acrochordus arafurae Anolis alocomyos (KÖHLER, VARGAS & LOTZKAT 2014) Anolis arenal (KÖHLER & VARGAS 2019) Anolis marsupialis TAYLOR 1956 Anolis monteverde KÖHLER 2009 Anolis savagei POE & RYAN 2017 Anolis tenorioensis KÖHLER 2011 Anomalepis mexicana JAN 1860 Bachia pallidiceps (COPE 1862) Dendrophidion crybelum CADLE 2012 Dendrophidion rufiterminorum CADLE & SAVAGE 2012 Geophis ruthveni WERNER 1925 Helminthophis frontalis (PETERS 1860) Holcosus parvus (BARBOUR & NOBLE 1915) Leptophis riveti DESPAX 1910 Marisora alliacea (COPE 1875) Rhadinaea pulveriventris BOULENGER 1896 Sceloporus olloporus SMITH 1937 Siderolamprus cyanochloris (COPE 1894) Tantilla vermiformis (HALLOWELL 1861) Trimetopon barbouri DUNN 1930 Trimetopon gracile (GÜNTHER 1872) Trimetopon pliolepis COPE 1894 Trimetopon simile DUNN 1930 Trimetopon viquezi DUNN 1937 Urotheca pachyura (COPE 1875) |
| Distribution | E Indonesia (Papua), Papua New Guinea, N Australia (coastal areas of Northern Territory, Queensland) Type locality: Lake Daviumbo, western Province. |
| Reproduction | ovoviviparous. Acrochordus arafurae may be the second parthenogenetic snake species (after Ramphotyplops braminus). |
| Types | Holotype: AMNH 59887 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (see also key to species of Acrochordus above). Differing from other species of Acrochordus in each of the following features: 1) nasal bones fused anteriorly; 2) hemipenis forked only at extreme tip, without spines or papillae; 3) pattern with intricate network of dark markings that are connected with one another but isolate spots of the brown or tawny ground colour. Additionally differing from A. javanicus (but resembling A. granulatus) in 1) absence of coronoid process on lower jaw; 2) posterior dentary teeth resembling other teeth in form; 3) scales of sides with one main cusp, flanked by much smaller cusps; 4) nasal bones tapering to a median anterior point; 5) maxillary teeth fewer (16-19); 6) dentary teeth fewer (13-17). Additionally differing from A. granulatus (but resembling A. javanicus) in: 1) nostrils directed forward, without upward inclination, separated from eye by 11-14 scales (against 5-7); 2) scales of lips less enlarged, with more rows (8-11, against 5-7) between eye and edge of lip; 3) long pterygoid row of 11-16 (against 5-7) teeth; 4) no transversely enlarged scale behind nasal; 5) less compressed tail, its vertical diametre much less than twice its horizontal diametre. (The hemipenial characters of this diagnosis checked on all males of material listed above; external, osteological, and dental characters checked on all material listed above, except nasal bones not checked for MCZ 118668, 118669, 118765, and 129121. In addition, vertebrae in region of heart checked on AMNH 86182 [Borroloola, Northern Territory] and found to have short neural spine confined to posterior edge of neural arch, essentially as in A. granulatus but unlike the high neural spine that arises from most of the length of the neural arch in A. javanicus and the Miocene-Pliocene A. dehmi Hoffstetter [1964] ). (McDowell 1979: 76) Additional details (6138 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| References |
|
| External links |