Geographic Variation in Scalation and Size of the Black Whip Snakes (Squamata
(Elapidae: Demansia Vestigiata Complex): Evidence for Two Broadly Sympatric Species
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19427445 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Glenn M Shea (0000-0002-0052-4205, The University of Sydney, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 41-61 |
| Publication date | 1998-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Beagle Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0811-3653 |
| Publisher | Biodiversity Heritage Library (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5962/p.287491 |
| OpenAlex | W2281769394 |
| Language | EN |
The systematics and nomenclature of the black whip snakes have been the subject of lengthy and complex discussion.Examination of 512 specimens in Australian museums, including type specimens, shows that there are two species in the complex; Demansia papuensis (Macleay, 1877) and D. vestigiata (de Vis.1884).When sexual dimorphism is taken into account, they are readily distinguished by scalation, size and to a lesser extent, colour, and are broadly sympatric in northern and north-eastern Australia.The smaller species with fewer ventral and subcaudal scales, Demansia vestigiata, is more broadly distributed, reaching south¬ eastern Queensland and southern coastal New Guinea.Despite the name, D. papuensis is not known with certainty from New Guinea
Biology · Colubridae · Elapidae · Evolutionary biology · Geographic variation · Geography · Squamata · Sympatric speciation · Zoology · Amphibian and Reptile Biology · Animal Behavior and Reproduction · Medicine · Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies · Ecology
| Highly cited | No |
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