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Micropechis ikaheca (LESSON, 1830)

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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesMicropechis ikaheca ikaheca (LESSON 1830)
Micropechis ikaheca fasciatus (FISCHER 1884) 
Common NamesE: New Guinea small-eyed snake, Ikaheka snake 
SynonymMicropechis ikaheca ikaheca (LESSON 1830)
Coluber ikaheca LESSON 1830: 54
Naja Elaps — SCHLEGEL 1844
Naja Elaps — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854
Trimeresurus elaps — JAN 1859
Trimeresurus ikaheca JAN 1863
Ophiophagus elaps — MEYER 1874
Ophiophagus ikaheka — PETERS & DORIA 1878
Coluber ikaheka PETERS & DORIA 1878 (nomen emendatum)
Ophiophagus ikaheka var. fasciatus FISCHER 1884
Diemenia ikaheka — F. MÜLLER 1892
Micropechis ikaheka — BOULENGER 1896: 346
Micropechis ikaheka — WERNER 1899
Micropechis ikaheka — DE ROOIJ 1917: 270
Pseudechis ikaheka — MCDOWELL 1970
Micropechis ikaheka — GOLAY 1985: 25
Micropechis ikaheka — WELCH 1994: 77
Micropechis ikaheka — GOWER et al. 2012: 105
Micropechis ikaheca — WALLACH et al. 2014: 440
Micropechis ikaheka — O’SHEA et al. 2018
Micropechis ikaheka — MARWA et al. 2024

Micropechis ikaheca fasciatus (FISCHER 1884)
Ophiophagus ikaheka var. fasciatus FISCHER 1884: 50
Micropechis ikaheka fasciatus — LOVERIDGE 1948: 391
Micropechis ikaheka fasciatus — HALLERMANN 2007: 29 
DistributionPapua New Guinea,
Batanta, Misool, Jobi, Mios, Num, Mefoor, Mansinam, Valise, Aru Islands
Indonesia (Irian Jaya)

Type locality: Ddore, Irian Jaya  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 7669
Holotype: MTD 1228 (also given as MTKD) [fasciatus] 
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 1580 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Type species: Coluber ikaheca LESSON 1829 is the type species of the genus Micropechis LESSON 1829.

The date of publication is 1830, not 1829 as sometimes given (see Sherborn & Woodward 1901, 1906 for details). 
EtymologyNamed after ikaheka = anguille de terre (Lesson, 1829) or ‘land eel’ in a West Papuan dialect, probably a reference for this species’ preference for semi-aquatic habitats. 
References
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1896. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum, Vol. 3. London (Taylor & Francis), xiv + 727 pp. - get paper here
  • de Rooij, N. DE 1917. The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Il. Ophidia. Leiden (E. J. Brill), xiv + 334 S. - get paper here
  • Fischer, J. G. 1884. Herpetologische Bemerkungen. Abh. Nat. Ver. Hamburg 8 (2): 43-51 (3-11)
  • Gower, D.; Garrett, K. & Stafford, P. 2012. Snakes. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY,<br />144 p..
  • Hallermann, J. 2007. Zur Geschichte der herpetologischen Sammlung des Zoologischen Museums Hamburgs, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Dr. Johann Gustav Fischer (1819 - 1889). Sekretär 7 (1): 20-32 - get paper here
  • Krey, K. 2015. Phylogeography and Species Limits in the Papuan White Snake (Micropechis ikaheka) (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae). PhD thesis, Bogor Agricultural University - get paper here
  • Krey, Keliopas; Mark O’Shea, Achmad Farajallah, Dede Setiadi, Bambang Suryobroto 2015. Micropechis ikaheka (Elapidae) in Papua, Indonesia: A Study of Diet and Cannibalism. Herpetology Notes 8: 323-328 - get paper here
  • Lesson, R.P. 1830. Description de quelques reptiles nouveaux ou peu connus. In: M.L.I. Duperrey, Voyage Autour du Monde Execute par Ordre du Roi, sur la Corvette de La Majeste, La Coquille, Pendant les Annees 1822, 1823, 1824 et 1825. 2. Zoologie Tome 2, Partie 1. Arthur Bertrand, Paris: 1-65 [published 1829 fide Ivan Ineich] - get paper here
  • Lidth DE JEUDE, T.W. VAN 1911. Reptilien (Schlangen). Nova Guinea. Résultats de l’expedition scientifique néerlandaise à la Nouvelle Guinée en 1907 sous les auspices de Dr. H.A. Lorenz 9. Leiden (E. J. Brill), pp. 265-287
  • Loveridge, A. 1948. New Guinean reptiles and amphibians in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and United States National Museum. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 101 (2): 305-430. - get paper here
  • MARWA, J., UNGIRWALU, A., IMBURI, C. S., DJITMAU, D. A., MURDJOKO, A., & BENU, N. M. H. 2024. Ecological perspective to sustainably manage the secondary forest in the lowland of Doberai Peninsula, Indonesia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 25(8) - get paper here
  • McDowell, Samuel B. 1970. On the status and relationships of the Solomon Island elapid snakes. Journal of Zoology, London 161: 145-190 - get paper here
  • O’Shea M, Herlihy B, Paivu B, Parker F, Richards SJ, Kaiser H. 2018. Rediscovery of the rare Star Mountains Worm-eating Snake, Toxicocalamus ernstmayri O’Shea et al., 2015 (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) with the description of its coloration in life. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 12(1): 27–34 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, Mark T. 1994. Micropechis ikaheka (small-eyed or Ikaheka snake). Ophiophagy. Herpetological Review 25 (2): 70 - get paper here
  • O’Shea,M. 1996. A Guide to the Snakes of Papua New Guinea. Independent Publishing, Port Moresby, xii + 239 pp. - get paper here
  • Read, John L. 1998. Reptiles and amphibians of the Kau Wildlife Area near Madang: a valuable conservation resource. Science in New Guinea 23 (3): 145-152
  • Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1901. Notes on the dates of publications of the natural history portions of some French voyages. Part 1. ‘Amérique méridionale’; ‘Indes orientales’; ‘Pôle Sud’ (‘Astrolabe’ and ‘Zélée’); ‘La Bonite’; ‘La Coquille’; and ‘L’Uranie et Physicienne.’. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7, 7 (3), 388–392 - get paper here
  • Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1906. Notes on the dates of publications of the natural history portions of some French voyages. ‘Voyage autour du Monde … sur … la Coquille pendant … 1822–25 … Par L. J. Duperry [sic],’ &c. A correction. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) 17 (9): 335–336
  • Storniolo, F., Mangiacotti, M., Scali, S., Zuffi, M. A. L., & Sacchi, R. 2025. A comparative phylogenetic approach for the evolution of melanism in elapid snakes supports the Bogert's rule. Journal of Zoology 326: 289-297 - 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.
  • Werner, F. 1899. Ueber Reptilien und Batrachier aus Togoland, Kamerun und Deutsch-Neu-Guinea grösstentheils aus dem k. Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 49: 132-157 - get paper here
 
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