Amethystine python

{{Short description|Species of snake}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{For|the Australian snake sometimes confused with this species|Australian scrub python}} {{Other uses|Scrub python (disambiguation){{!}}Scrub python}} {{Speciesbox | image = High-Yellow Sorong Amethystine Scrub Python.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn|author=Tallowin, O.|author-link=species:Oliver J.S. Tallowin |author2= Allison, A.|author2-link=species:Allen Allison |author3=Parker, F. |author3-link=species:Frederick Stanley Parker |author4=O'Shea, M. |author4-link=species:Mark O'Shea |year=2017 |title=''Morelia amethistina'' |article-number= e.T177501A1489667 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T177501A1489667.en |access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref> | genus = Simalia | species = amethistina | authority = (Schneider, 1801) | range_map = Distribution of Morelia amtehistina-complex.jpg | range_map_caption = Range shown as dark orange and bright orange regions | synonyms = *[''Boa''] ''Amethistina'' <br />{{small|Schneider, 1801}} *''Python amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Daudin, 1803}} *[''Constrictor''] ''amethystina'' <br />{{small|— Wagler, 1830}} *''Boa amethystina'' <br />{{small|— Wagler, 1830}} *''Python amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Schlegel, 1837}} *[''Boa Python''] ''amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Schlegel, 1837}} *''Liasis amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Gray, 1842}} *''Liasis amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844}} *''Liasis'' (''Simalia'') ''amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Gray, 1849}} *''Aspidopython Jakati'' <br />{{small|A. Meyer, 1874}} *''Liasis amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— W. Peters & Doria, 1878}} *''Liasis duceboracensis'' <br />{{small|Günther, 1879}} *''Hypaspistes dipsadides'' <br />{{small|Ogilby, 1891}} *''Python amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Boulenger, 1893}} *''Liasis clarki'' <br />{{small|Barbour, 1914}} *''Liasis a''[''methistinus'']. ''amethistinus'' <br />{{small|— Stull, 1933}} <!-- *''Liasis amethistinus kinghorni'' <br />{{small|Stull, 1933}} --> *''Liasis amethistinus'' <br />{{small|— Brongersma, 1953}} <!-- *''Liasis amethystinus kinghorni'' <br />{{small|— Kinghorn, 1956}} --> *''Liasis amethystinus amethystinus'' <br />{{small|— Kinghorn, 1956}} *''Liasis amethistinus'' <br />{{small|— Stimson, 1969}} *''Python amethistinus'' <br />{{small|— McDowell, 1975}} *''Morelia amethistina'' <br />{{small|— H.G. Cogger, Cameron & <br />H.M. Cogger, 1983}} *''Australiasis amethistinus'' <br />{{small|— Wells & Wellington, 1984}} <!-- *''Australiasis kinghorni'' <br />{{small|— Wells & Wellington, 1984}} --> *''Morelia amethistina'' <br />{{small|— Underwood & Stimson, 1990}} *''M''[''orelia'']. ''amethistina'' <br />{{small|— Kluge, 1993}} *''Morelia amethystina'' <br />{{small|— D. Barker & T. Barker, 1994}} *''Morelia amethistina amethistina'' <br />{{small|— O'Shea, 1996}}<ref name="McD99">McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. {{ISBN|1-893777-00-6}} (series). {{ISBN|1-893777-01-4}} (volume).</ref> *''Simalia amethistina'' <br />{{small|— Reynolds et al., 2014}}<ref>{{EMBL species|genus=Simalia|species=amethistina}}. www.reptile-database.org.</ref> }}

The '''amethystine python''' ('''''Simalia amethistina''''', formerly known as '''''Morelia amethistina'''''), also known as the '''scrub python''' or '''''sanca permata''''' in Indonesian, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Popular among reptile enthusiasts, and noted for its coloration and size, it is one of the largest snakes in the world, as measured either by length or weight, and is the largest native snake in Papua New Guinea. Until 2000, the larger Australian species ''S.&nbsp;kinghorni'' was generally considered a subspecies of ''S.&nbsp;amethistina'', and this change of classification has still not been universally reflected in literature. Because of this issue, ''S.&nbsp;amethistina'' has often been described as the largest snake in Australia, but this is not accurate since under the current classification, this species does not occur in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jcu.edu.au/reptilelab/public/groups/everyone/documents/journal_article/jcutst_055702.pdf |title=Giant snakes in tropical forests: a field study of Australian scrub pythons |author1=Fearn, S. |author1-link=species:Simon Fearn |author2=Schwarzkopf, L. |author3-link=Richard Shine |author3=Shine, R. |publisher=CSIRO Publishing / Wildlife Research |access-date=2013-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927071210/http://www.jcu.edu.au/reptilelab/public/groups/everyone/documents/journal_article/jcutst_055702.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2013 }}</ref>

==Taxonomy== Formerly, five subspecies of ''Morelia amethistina'', including the nominate race, ''M. a. amethystina'', were generally recognized. The Moluccan Islands (including Halmahera, Ternate and Tidore) are home to the former ''M. a. tracyae''. The Tanimbar Islands are home to a smaller subspecies, the former ''M. a. nauta''. On the island of Seram, the former ''M. a. clastolepis'' can be found. On mainland of Papua New Guinea (including the Indonesian western half, once called Irian Jaya—now West Papua), and many of its nearby offshore islands, the former ''M. a. amethystina'' is quite common. In Australia, the former ''M. a. kinghorni'' is represented.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=634775 |taxon=''Morelia amethistina'' |access-date=18 September 2007}}</ref> American biologist Michael Harvey and colleagues investigated the amethystine python complex and recognised five separate species{{snd}} ''Simalia amethistina'', ''Simalia clastolepis'', ''Simalia kinghorni'', ''Simalia nauta'', and ''Simalia tracyae''{{snd}} based on cladistic analysis of cytochrome b sequences and morphology.<ref name="Harvey2000">{{cite journal |first1=Michael B. |last1=Harvey |author1-link=species:Michael Brown Harvey |first2=David G. |last2=Barker |author2-link=David G. Barker |first3=Loren K. |last3=Ammerman |author3-link=species:Loren K. Ammerman |first4=Paul T. |last4=Chippindale |author4-link=species:Paul T. Chippindale |title=Systematics of Pythons of the ''Morelia amethistina'' Complex (Serpentes: Boidae) with the Description of three new Species |journal=Herpetological Monographs |volume=14 |year=2000 |pages=139–185|doi=10.2307/1467047| jstor=1467047 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256197534}}</ref> In 2014 cladistic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes of pythons and boas, R. Graham Reynolds and colleagues supported the distinctness of ''M. tracyae'', ''M. amethistina'', and ''M. clastolepis'', but were less confident of ''M. kinghorni'' and ''M. nauta''.<ref name="Reyn01">{{cite journal |last1=Reynolds |first1=R. Graham |author1-link=species:Robert Graham Reynolds |last2=Niemiller |first2=Matthew L. |author2-link=species:Matthew L. Niemiller |last3=Revell |first3=Liam J. |author3-link=species:Liam J. Revell |title=Toward a tree-of-life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling |year=2014 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=71 |pages=201–213 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011 | pmid= 24315866|bibcode=2014MolPE..71..201G | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259246220}}</ref>

According to McDiarmid ''et al.'' (1999), all cases in which the specific name was spelled with a ''y'' follow Daudin's (1803) ''Python amethystinus'' and are therefore unjustified emendations.<ref name="McD99"/> The specific name, ''amethistina'', is an allusion to the milky iridescent sheen on its scales, which gives it an amethyst-like colour.

==Description== Specimens of ''S. amethistina'' have reportedly been measured at more than {{cvt|5.5|m|ft|1}} in total length (including tail), but this is likely due to confusion with Australian ''S. kinghorni'' specimens, as even {{cvt|4|m|ft}} specimens of ''S. amethistina'' are already considered extremely large. Although the amethystine python is smaller than the Australian scrub python, some sources claim that ''S. amethistina'' is able to reach lengths of {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with a weight up to {{cvt|27|kg}}<ref name="Daniel Natusch">{{Cite journal|first1=Daniel |last1=Natusch |first2=Jessica |last2=Lyons |first3=Richard |last3=Shine |year=2022|journal=Scientific Reports |title=Spatial ecology, activity patterns, and habitat use by giant pythons (''Simalia amethistina'') in tropical Australia|volume=12|issue=1|page=5274 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359517466|doi=10.1038/s41598-022-09369-5 |pmid=35347214 |pmc=8960824 |bibcode=2022NatSR..12.5274N }}</ref> and perhaps even {{cvt|30|kg}}.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Daniel |last1=Natusch |first2=Jessica |last2=Lyons |first3=Lea-Ann |last3=Mears|first4=Richard |last4=Shine |year=2021 |publisher=Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University |title=Biting off more than you can chew: attempted predation on a human by a giant snake (''Simalia amethistina'') |url=https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/167828778/134330879_AAM.pdf |journal=Austral Ecology |volume=46 |number=1 |pages=159–162 |doi=10.1111/aec.12956 |bibcode=2021AusEc..46..159N |s2cid=225105592 }}<!-- This article refers to the "Australian scrub python", and talks about it being in Cape York, but calls it S. amethistina, which seems to mean it is really referring to S. kinghorni. S. kinghorni is not explicitly mentioned in the article at all (except in the keywords, which is strange). --></ref>

The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 39–53 rows at midbody. There are deep, heat-sensing pits on six or seven of the posterior lower labials.<ref>Boulenger GA (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I–XXVIII. (''Python amethystinus'', pp. 83–84).</ref>

==Distribution and habitat== The Amethystine python is found in Indonesia (Maluku Islands, Timur Laut Islands, Banda, Kai Islands, Aru Islands, Misool, Salawati, most of Western New Guinea, many islands in Geelvink Bay, such as Biak, Numfor, Yapen, and Supiori), and Papua New Guinea (including Umboi Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Trobriand Islands, the d'Entrecasteaux Islands to Rossel Island, Louisiade Archipelago). The type locality is unknown.<ref name="McD99"/>

''S. amethistina'' occurs in both bushland and suburbia. In Indonesia, it is found mostly in rainforests. Warm, humid habitats with good water sources are preferred. In New Guinea, it mostly lives in scrublands.

==Diet== The diet of the amethystine python generally consists of birds, bats, rats, possums, and other small mammals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amethystine Python |url=https://www.reptilerange.com/amethystine-python/ |website=Reptile Range |access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref> Larger Papuan specimens catch and eat wallabies, and cuscus, waiting by creek and river banks for prey seeking drinking water.

On Milman Island, potential prey of amethystine pythons include ghost crabs (''Ocypode'' sp.), green sea turtle hatchlings, hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings, wading birds, and terns.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Alastair Freeman|first1=Ian Bell|last2=Daniel J. D. Natusch|title=Island dwarfism in a tropical Australian python (Simalia amethistina)|date=August 22, 2025|journal=Australian Journal of Zoology|volume=73|issue=5|url=https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO25030}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== *Schneider JG (1801). ''Historiae Amphibiorum naturalis et literariae Fasciculus Secundus continens Crocodilos, Scincos, Chamaesauras, Boas, Pseudoboas, Elapes, Angues, Amphisbaenas et Caecilias''. Jena: F. Frommann. vi + 364 pp. + Plates I–II. (''"[Boa] Amethistina"'', new species, p.&nbsp;254). (in Latin).

==External links== {{Commons}} *{{NRDB species|genus=Simalia|species=amethistina|date=14 February|year=2019}}

{{Pythonidae}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q186275}}

Category:Morelia (snake) Category:Reptiles described in 1801 Category:Snakes of Indonesia Category:Reptiles of Papua New Guinea Category:Snakes of New Guinea Category:Reptiles as pets Category:Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Category:Apex predators <!-- Simalia amethistina -->