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Species: python
Pythonidae is a taxonomic family of non-venomous alethinophid snakes with the common name of pythons and the collateral adjective of pythonid.
The snakes in the Pythonidae family are native to the tropics and subtropics of the sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia (however there are a couple of infamous invasive populations of certain species in Puerto Rico and the Florida Everglades). As they do not have venom glands, pythons use the act of biting solely to grab their ambushed prey as they suffocate them via constriction. Superficially similar to boas, with Pythonidae once being misidentified as subfamily of Boidae (the former defined by Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1826), pythons are physically and evolutionarily distinct; unlike boas, they are oviparous and do not have as elongated supratemporal and quadrate bones.
As of 2024, there are currently 39 extant species recognized in Pythonidae across ten genii, including the type genus Python from which these snakes are named (etymologically, the Latin python comes from the Ancient Greek Πύθων (the name of a mythological scalie from Delphi slain by the god Apollo).
Species
- Antaresia (Richard W. Wells & Cliff R. Wellington, 1984)
- Children's python — Antaresia childreni (John Edward Gray, 1842)
- spotted python — Antaresia maculosa (Wilhelm K.H. Peters, 1873)
- Papuan spotted python — Antaresia papuensis (Damien Esquerré et al., 2021)
- pygmy python — Antaresia perthensis (Olive G. Stull, 1932)
- Apodora (Arnold G. Klugg, 1993)
- Papuan python — Apodora papuana (Wilhelm K.H. Peters & Giacomo Doria, 1878)
- Aspidites (Wilhelm K.H. Peters, 1877)
- black-headed python — Aspidites (Gerard Krefft, 1864)
- woma python — Aspidites ramsayi (William J. Macleay, 1882)
- Bothrochilus (Leopold J.F.J. Fitzinger, 1843)
- Bismarck ringed python — Bothrochilus boa (Hermann Schlegel, 1837)
- Leiopython (Ambrosius A.W. Hubrecht, 1879)
- D'Albertis' python — Leiopython albertisii (Wilhelm K.H. Peters & Giacomo Doria, 1878)
- Karimui Basin whitelip python — Leiopython fredparkeri (Wulf D. Schleip, 2008)
- Biak white-lipped python — Leiopython biakensis (Wulf D. Schleip, 2008)
- Liasis (John Edward Gray, 1842)
- water python — Liasis fuscus (Wilhelm K.H. Peters, 1873)
- Macklot's python — Liasis mackloti (André M.C. Duméril & Gabriel Bibron, 1844)
- olive python — Liasis olivaceus (John Edward Gray, 1842)
- Malayopython (R. Graham Reynolds et al., 2014)
- reticulated python — Malayopython reticulatus (Johann G.T. Schneider, 1801)
- Timor python — Malayopython timoriensis (Wilhelm K.H. Peters, 1876)
- Morelia (John Edward Gray, 1842)
- northern green tree python — Morelia azurea (Adolf B. Meyer, 1874)
- Bredl's python — Morelia bredli (Graeme Francis Gow, 1981)
- rough-scaled python — Morelia carinata (Louise Aloys Smith, 1981)
- southwestern carpet python — Morelia imbricata (Louise Aloys Smith, 1981)
- carpet python — Morelia spilota (Bernard Germain de Lacépède, 1804)
- green tree python — Morelia viridis (Hermann Schlegel, 1872)
- Nyctophilopython (Richard W. Wells & Cliff R. Wellington, 1985)
- Oenpelli python — Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis (Graeme Francis Gow, 1977)
- Python (François Marie Daudin, 1803)
- Anchieta's dwarf python — Python anchietae (José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage, 1887)
- Burmese python — Python bivittatus (Heinrich Kuhl, 1820)
- Borneo python — Python breitensteini (Franz Steindachner, 1880)
- blood python — Python brongersmai (Olive G. Stull, 1938)
- Sumatran short-tailed python — Python curtus (Hermann Schlegel, 1872)
- Myanmar short-tailed python — Python kyaiktiyo (George R. Zug, Steve W. Gotte & Jeremy F. Jacobs; 2011)
- Indian python — Python molurus (Carl Linnaeus, 1758)
- Southern African rock python — Python natalensis (Andrew Smith, 1833)
- ball python — Python regius (George Kearsley Shaw, 1802)
- Central African rock python — Python sebae (Johann Friedrich Gmelin, 1789)
- †Python europaeus (Zbigniew Szyndlar & Jean-Claude Rage, 2003)
- Simalia (John Edward Gray, 1849)
- amethystine python — Simalia amethistina (Johann G.T. Schneider, 1801)
- Boelen's python — Simalia boeleni (Leo Daniel Brongersma, 1953)
- Moluccan python — Simalia clastolepis (Michael B. Harvey et al., 2000)
- Australian scrub python — Simalia kinghorni (Olive G. Stull, 1933)
- Tanimbar python — Simalia nauta (Michael B. Harvey et al., 2000)
- Halmahera python — Simalia tracyae (Michael B. Harvey et al., 2000)
Despite its name, the Mexican python (Loxocemus bicolor) is not part of the Pythonidae family, however the Loxocemindae and Xenopeltidae families are the closest relatives of Pythonidae, forming the Pythonidea superfamily in the snake infraorder Alethinophida.
See also
- reptile (class: Reptilia)
- snake (suborder: Serpentes)
- alethinophidian (infraorder: Alethinophidia)
- afrophidian (clade: Afrophidia)
- pythonid (family: Pythonidae)
External links
- Wikipedia — Pythonidae
The following tags are aliased to this tag: pythonid, pythonidae (learn more).
This tag implicates snake (learn more).
The following tags implicate this tag: morelia_(snake), python_(genus) (learn more).
