| Pilbara death adder | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
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 | |
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. The species Acanthophis wellsi is endemic to Western Australia.
Taxonomy
The Pilbara death adder was described by Raymond Hoser in 1998. The specific name, wellsi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Richard Walter Wells.
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.
Distribution and habitat
Acanthophis wellsi is found in the Hamersley Range and the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of A. wellsi are grassland, shrubland, and rocky areas.
Reproduction
Acanthophis wellsi is ovoviviparous.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Acanthophis wellsi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 26 February 2016.
- 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 ", new species).
- 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).
- 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.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Acanthophis wellsi | |