Oxyuranus temporalis
Encyclopedia
Oxyuranus temporalis or Central Ranges Taipan is a species of taipan
, large, fast, highly venomous Australasia
n snake
s, that was described in 2007 by Australia
n researchers Paul Doughty, Brad Maryan, Stephen Donnellan and Mark Hutchinson. It was named one of the top five new species of 2007 by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) at Arizona State University
.
, caught the immature female taipan while it was crossing a dirt track on a sunny afternoon.
The reptile was about one metre long but, because taipan species are among the most venomous snakes in the world, Hutchinson did not inspect the creature on site. He bagged the snake and sent it, along with others captured from the trip, to the Western Australian Museum
in Perth
for closer inspection.
It is the first new taipan species to be discovered in 125 years. It was not until two weeks later that the new species was studied.
At first, it was tentatively identified as a western brown snake because of the similar size and colouring. However, several weeks later, WA Museum reptile collection manager Brad Maryan noticed the now preserved snake had a large, pale head similar to the coastal taipan.
The holotype
, nicknamed "Scully
" after the X-Files
TV character, is an immature snake about a metre long, which means that scientists do not know the true adult size of the species, though some taipans can reach lengths of about three meters.
The two described species of Oxyuranus are among the most venomous land snakes in the world - Oxyuranus microlepidotus ranked the most venomous land snake and Oxyuranus scutellatus, the third most venomous after Pseudonaja textilis.
The Central Ranges Taipan or Oxyuranus temporalis is likely to be extremely venomous given its close relationship to the other two species. The new species is known from the single specimen, so very little is known of its natural history, and nothing of its venom.
The new species was described in 2007 by Australia
n researchers Paul Doughty, Brad Maryan, Stephen Donnellan and Mark Hutchinson. It was named one of the top five new species of 2007 by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) at Arizona State University
.
of Western Australia
. The adult female taipan measuring 1.3 metres, was captured by the Spinifex people from the Tjuntjuntjara Aboriginal community during a biological study at Ilkurlka, 165 kilometres west of the South Australian border. The second snake was found 425 kilometers south of the location of the initial discovery.
Taipan
The taipans are a genus of large, fast, highly venomous Australasian snakes of the elapid family.-Overview:The taipan was named by Donald Thomson after the word used by the Wik-Mungkan Aboriginal people of central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.There are three known species: the coastal...
, large, fast, highly venomous Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, that was described in 2007 by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n researchers Paul Doughty, Brad Maryan, Stephen Donnellan and Mark Hutchinson. It was named one of the top five new species of 2007 by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
.
Discovery
Dr Mark Hutchinson, reptile and amphibian curator at the South Australian MuseumSouth Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands.-History:...
, caught the immature female taipan while it was crossing a dirt track on a sunny afternoon.
The reptile was about one metre long but, because taipan species are among the most venomous snakes in the world, Hutchinson did not inspect the creature on site. He bagged the snake and sent it, along with others captured from the trip, to the Western Australian Museum
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
for closer inspection.
It is the first new taipan species to be discovered in 125 years. It was not until two weeks later that the new species was studied.
At first, it was tentatively identified as a western brown snake because of the similar size and colouring. However, several weeks later, WA Museum reptile collection manager Brad Maryan noticed the now preserved snake had a large, pale head similar to the coastal taipan.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, nicknamed "Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
" after the X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
TV character, is an immature snake about a metre long, which means that scientists do not know the true adult size of the species, though some taipans can reach lengths of about three meters.
New Species
Oxyuranus temporalis differs from its two congeneric species Oxyuranus scutellatus and Oxyuranus microlepidotus in lacking a temporolabial scale and having six rather than seven infralabial scales. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences showed it to be the sister species of the two previously known taipans.The two described species of Oxyuranus are among the most venomous land snakes in the world - Oxyuranus microlepidotus ranked the most venomous land snake and Oxyuranus scutellatus, the third most venomous after Pseudonaja textilis.
The Central Ranges Taipan or Oxyuranus temporalis is likely to be extremely venomous given its close relationship to the other two species. The new species is known from the single specimen, so very little is known of its natural history, and nothing of its venom.
The new species was described in 2007 by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n researchers Paul Doughty, Brad Maryan, Stephen Donnellan and Mark Hutchinson. It was named one of the top five new species of 2007 by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
.
2010 Rediscovery
In May 2010 a second specimen of Oxyuranus temporalis was found in the Great Victoria DesertGreat Victoria Desert
The Great Victoria Desert is a barren and sparsely populated desert area of southern Australia.-Location and description:The Great Victoria is the biggest desert in Australia and consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles and salt lakes...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The adult female taipan measuring 1.3 metres, was captured by the Spinifex people from the Tjuntjuntjara Aboriginal community during a biological study at Ilkurlka, 165 kilometres west of the South Australian border. The second snake was found 425 kilometers south of the location of the initial discovery.