Pilbara death adder

Pilbara death adder
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Acanthophis
Species:	A. wellsi
Binomial name
Acanthophis wellsi Hoser, 1998
Synonyms[2]
Acanthophis wellsei [sic] Hoser, 1998 Acanthophis wellsi — Aplin & Donnellan, 1999 (emendation)

The Pilbara death adder (Acanthophis wellsi), also known commonly as Wells' death adder, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is one of the eight members of the genus Acanthophis, a genus which is found throughout northwestern and southwestern Australia and some parts of southern Papua New Guinea.[2] The species Acanthophis wellsi is endemic to Western Australia.

Taxonomy

The Pilbara death adder was described by Raymond Hoser in 1998.[3] The specific name, wellsi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Richard Walter Wells.[4]

Description

Dorsally, A. wellsi is usually brick red, with narrow, close-spaced gray crossbands. Individuals called "melanistic" have a black head, and the crossbands, which are wider, are yellowish brown, edged with black.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Acanthophis wellsi is found in the Hamersley Range and the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia.[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of A. wellsi are grassland, shrubland, and rocky areas.[1]

Reproduction

Acanthophis wellsi is ovoviviparous.[2]

References

1. Ellis, R.; Oliver, P.; Wilson, S. (2017). "Acanthophis wellsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T42492807A42492811. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T42492807A42492811.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Acanthophis wellsi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 26 February 2016.
3. Hoser R (1998). "Death Adders (Genus Acanthophis): An overview, including descriptions of five new species and one subspecies". Monitor 9 (2): 20-41. ("Acanthophis wellsei [sic]", new species).
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Acanthophis wellsi, p. 281).
5. Aplin KP, Donnellan SC (1999). "An extended description of the Pilbara Death Adder, Acanthophis wellsi Hoser (Serpentes: Elapidae), with notes on the Desert Death Adder, A. pyrrhus Boulenger, and identification of a possible hybrid zone". Records of the Western Australian Museum 19: 277-298.

Further reading

• Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350. (Acanthophis wellsei, p. 859).
• Shine R, Spencer CL, Keogh JS (2014). "Morphology, Reproduction and Diet in Australian and Papuan Death Adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae)". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e94216. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...994216S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094216. PMC 3981772. PMID 24718608.
• Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. ISBN 978-1921517280.