Molecular and morphological analysis confirms two additional species of python (Antaresia) on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

D. J. D. Natusch; L. McIntyre; B. J. Muller; D. Esquerré

doi:10.1071/ZO25006

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 73(4)

Molecular and morphological analysis confirms two additional species of python (Antaresia) on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

D. J. D. Natusch

^A ^B ^* , L. McIntyre ^A , B. J. Muller ^A and D. Esquerré ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A People For Wildlife, 1/26 Florence Street, Cairns City, Qld 4870, Australia.

^B School of Natural Science, Macquarie University, NSW 2601, Australia.

^C Environmental Futures Research Centre, School of Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: d.natusch@peopleforwildlife.org

Handling Editor: Steven Cooper

Australian Journal of Zoology 73, ZO25006 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO25006

Submitted: 13 February 2025 Accepted: 9 May 2025 Published: 26 June 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Antaresia is a genus of small (<1.4 m) python species inhabiting mainland Australia, with one species (A. papuensis) recently described from New Guinea and several islands in the Torres Strait. Currently, only Antaresia maculosa peninsularis is formally known to occur in Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland on the Australian mainland. We used molecular and morphological data to examine whether populations of Antaresia in northern Cape York comprised several distinct taxa (namely: A. childreni, A. maculosa peninsularis, and A. papuensis). A phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b locus recovered samples of Antaresia from far northern Cape York as part of the same clade as A. papuensis from New Guinea and islands in the Torres Strait. Further to the south, we found that A. m. peninsularis and A. childreni occur in sympatry together. With the possible exception of colouration and pattern, we found no aspects of scalation that allow for easy and consistent visual distinction between the three taxa on Cape York. We discuss our finding in the context of biogeography of the region.

Keywords: Antaresia childreni, Antaresia maculosa, Antaresia papuensis, Cape York, New Guinea, phylogenetics, snake, Torres Strait.

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