Antaresia
Antaresia | |
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Children's python, A. childreni
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Pythonidae |
Subfamily: | Pythoninae |
Genus: | Antaresia Wellington , 1984
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Type species | |
Antaresia childreni | |
Species | |
Four species and two subspecies, see text. | |
Synonyms | |
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Antaresia is a
Geographic range
Species in the genus Antaresia are found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, in arid and tropical regions.[1]
Species
Species[3][5] | Taxon author[3] | Common name | Geographic range[1] |
---|---|---|---|
A. childreni T
|
(Gray, 1842) | Children's python | Australia in the extreme north of Western Australia, the northern third of Northern Territory, and northeastern Queensland, and on the islands of the Torres Strait |
A. maculosa
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(W. Peters, 1873) | spotted python | Australia from the extreme north of the Cape York Peninsula, south through eastern Queensland to northern New South Wales, and on many islands off the coast of Queensland |
A. papuensis | (D. Esquerré, 2021) | Papuan spotted python | New Guinea and Torres Strait |
A. perthensis
|
(Stull, 1932) | pygmy python | Australia in the northwest of Western Australia, including some coastal islands |
- ) Not including the nominate subspecies.
T) Type species.[1]
Taxonomy
The
Four species and two subspecies are currently recognized in the genus Antaresia, which is contained by the family Pythonidae; infraspecific ranks have also been described.[3]
A subspecies, A. stimsoni orientalis was described by L.A. Smith (1985), but was not recognized as valid by Barker & Barker (1994).[1] It is now recognized as valid by ITIS, as well as A. stimsoni stimsoni.
.[6]
In captivity
The members of the genus Antaresia are often kept as pets due to their small size, docile temperaments, strong feeding responses, resiliency and easy captive care. They are often seen as a good beginner species for keeping reptiles, particularly snakes. While not as popular or diverse in colors as ball pythons, these snakes can range in color from albino and leucistic to ebony, melanistic, and piebald color morphs to name a few. The varying coloration between individuals also makes them quite attractive to many who work with and breed exotic reptiles. In captivity, the members of this genus are very tolerant of differing humidity levels ranging from 20%-80% due to the wide range of habitats they occur in, and shedding problems that occur in captive animals are usually the result of temperatures being too high or low rather than problems with humidity. Antaresia species are also fairly easy to breed, though some individuals (mostly males) may refuse to eat when they are interested in mating.[4]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-893777-01-4(volume). Antaresia: pp. 162–163.
- ISBN 978-1-920694-74-6.
- ^ a b c d "Antaresia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-938850-05-9.[page needed]
- ^ Antaresia at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 24 June 2021.
- PMID 33892100. (Antaresia papuensis, new species).
Further reading
- Wellington CR(1984) ("1983"). "A Synopsis of the Class Reptilia in Australia". Australian Journal of Herpetology 1 (3–4): 73–129. (Antaresia, new genus).
External links
- Antaresia.org. Four Antaresia species information.
- Antaresia.info. Accessed 13 November 2007.