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Pseudechis australis (GRAY, 1842)

IUCN Red List - Pseudechis australis - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: King brown snake, mulga snake
G: Mulgaschlange 
SynonymNaja australis GRAY 1842: 55
Pseudechis australis — GÜNTHER 1863: 362
Pseudechis darwiniensis MACLEAY 1878: 220
Pseudechis cupreus BOULENGER 1896: 329 (part.)
Pseudechis darwiniensis — BOULENGER 1896: 330
Pseudechis denisonioides WERNER 1909: 258
Pseudechis australis — FRY 1914: 197
Pseudechis australis — DE ROOIJ 1917: 268
Pseudechis darwiniensis — WERNER 1927: 249
Pseudechis platycephalus THOMSON 1933: 859
Denisonia brunnea MITCHELL 1951: 551
Pseudechis australis — SMITH 1982: 37
Pseudechis australis — WELCH 1994: 103
Pailsus rossignolii HOSER 2000 (fide WÜSTER et al. 2001)
Pseudechis australis — COGGER 2000: 664
Cannia australis aplini HOSER 2001
Cannia australis burgessi HOSER 2001
Cannia australis newmani HOSER 2001
Pseudechis rossignolii — WÜSTER et al. 2004
Pseudechis australis — MATTISON 2007: 261
Pseudechis australis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 596
Pseudechis australis — MIRTSCHIN et al. 2017
Pseudechis australis — EIPPER & EIPPER 2024: 178 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia)

Type locality: Port Essington, N.T., Australia  
Reproductionoviparous (ovoviviparous) 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.1.20.39
Holotype: AM R31927, from Port Darwin, N. T. [Pseudechis darwiniensis].
Holotype: none; description based on literature records (see also under Pseudonaja textilis Duméril, Bibron and Duméril, 1854), from "Murray River", N. S. W. /Vic. [Pseudechis cupreus].
Holotype: not found, from Eradu, W. A. [Pseudechis denisonioides].
Holotype: NMV D12355, from East Alligator River, Arnhem Land, N. T. [Pseudechis platycephalus].
Holotype: SAMA R3151, from Mount Wedge, near Elliston on the W coast of Eyre Peninsula, S. A. [Denisonia brunnea]. 
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 3117 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy partly after COGGER 1983. Wüster et al. (2004) consider Pailsus rossignolii and Pseudechis weigeli as a valid species based on DNA sequence divergence. However, further studies are required to confirm their species status. KAISER et al. rejected all names coined by HOSER in or after 2000.

Venomous!

Distribution: see map of localities in MADDOCK et al. 2016.

Type species: Naja australis GRAY 1842: 55 is the type species of the genus Cannia Wells & Wellington 1984. Wells & Wellington 1985 included 4 species in the genus: Cannia australis, Cannia brunnea, Cannia butleri, and Cannia centralis sp. nov.

Diagnosis (Cannia): A genus of large, bulky and highly venomous elapids that can be readily distinguished by the following combination of characters; fangs followed by 3-5 slightly recurved teeth on the maxilla; rostra1 broader than deep; frontal about as broad as the supraocular and 2 times as long as broad;internasals 1/2 as long as prefrontals; midbody 17-19 rows; ventrals 185-235; anal divided; subcaudals 50-75, (anteriorly single divided); oviparous; completely flattens the body when agitated; reaches a maximum length of over 2 m. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin australis (southern), although Gray is likely alluding to the southern continent Australia rather than a southern distribution within that continent. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
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