Antaresia

[TLC]

I recently purchased an Antaresia stimsoni but after reading around, it seems there is still a little confusion or at least on my part anyway. There are several classifications ie Antaresia stimsoni orientalis and Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni from what I have been able to dig up it seems the latter (Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni) is what I have as it has a pale strip right along the side of the python which doesnt appear on the images I've seen on the Antaresia stimsoni orientalis. Is this correct?

Also are these classifications up to date? ... as the more reading I do seems to cloudy the water a little more.

What I have found is this guide to identification of Antaresia's ....

1a Fewer than 37 Mid body scale rows, 250 or less ventrals ... it's a perthensis (Ant-hill Python)

1b 37 or more mid-body scale rows, 250 or more ventrals ... goto 2.

2a No pattern, or if pattern is present, it isn't bold and distinct ... it's a childreni (Children's Python)

2b Bold Pattern ... goto 3.

3a Pattern of distinct blotches or spots, which may join along the dorsal midline ... it's a maculosus (Spotted Python)

3b Pattern of bold blotches or bars and a white ventrolateral stripe along the anterior part of the body ... it's a stimsoni (Stimson's Python)

Is there a difference between the Antaresia stimsoni orientalis and Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni or is it just the location from where they originated?

 

[craig23]

Do you know where the snake is from? what location were the parents etc originally from? and ill tell you in a second.
Colour is very unreliable, I have childreni that are cream with blotches, grey with black flecks, to red with no pattern or markings to just all plain grey. And they are all A.Childreni.

There is also every chance you have a hybrid maybe if the seller couldnt tell you where its origins are from as it was only a few years ago everyone considered them the same species and no doubt alot of hybrids were bred.

 

[nuthn2do]

A.s.stimsoni - the 7th upper labial scale contacts the eye, 260-302 ventrals
A.s.orientalis - the 5th upper labial contacts the eye, 243-284 ventrals
Both have the lateral stripe down the front third of the body
No doubt there would be exceptions

 

[pbolomey]

Of Topic. This remaind me of the day I use to identify fish counting gill rakers, scales and teeth rows.

Pablo

 

[hugsta]

Orientalis are also a lot lighter in colour than s stimsonii, generally speaking.

 

[craig23]

I have an interesting point on scale counting, well head scales only..... it might be common knowledge... I just compared a few of my childreni to the head scale images on this site:

http://www.serpenti.it/rivista/pubblica4/p9.htm

out of 5 snakes i compared, 3 of them are very similar to the childreni image, almost the same, one is a match to the maculosa, and one is very differnt, with an extra row of head scales and one of the rows )the third back from the nostrils, has 4 scales, not 2 or 3. These are all NT form childreni... i dont know anything really about scale counting and classification, but if the head scales are anything to go on.... from this look at 5 childreni, they can be anything.. not acurate at all.. i wish i had a camera here to post pics.. give me a week and i will

 

[pbolomey]

I go thru my uni Identifaction keys and I'll let you know what is the correct method on head scale count

pablo

 

[craig23]

cool sounds interesting, i counted the scales correctly....it was pretty east to compare the head scales from the pics.... the interesting this isnt even that they didnt really match the pics, they are all different from each other as well. If you look at the pic, the first row is green, second is yellow, third is orange, I have a childreni that has 2 scales in that third row(like the maculosa), and i have one that has 4 (the two large scales, and two small ones in the centre). The childreni is suppose to have 3.
These are all North NT form Childreni.... n

 

[TLC]

Re: RE: Antaresia

Do you know where the snake is from? what location were the parents etc originally from? and ill tell you in a second.

We contacted the supplier for further details and the snake in question was wild caught from the northern wheatbelt here in WA and he confirmed it was an Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni. I'll see if I can get a good top head shot for you Craig to make some comparisons with yours.

Thanx for the input everyone!

 

[Jonathon]

RE: Re: RE: Antaresia

Are we only allowed to keep A. stimsoni stimsoni here in WA?

 

[Magpie]

RE: Re: RE: Antaresia

I would not get too caught up on A. s.s. v A. s.o. At the moment they are very poorly described sub-species that are based more on geographic location than anything else. What is commonly known as an orientalis is a very small and almost striped version of the stimmy, but this is not what is described as orientalis in the literature.

 

[craig23]

RE: Re: RE: Antaresia

nice snake TLC, yeah im very interested in these head scales now so if you can take a good close up head shot just for the fun of it ill just get some of mine to show you how different some of them are from each other.

 

[womas4me]

RE: Re: RE: Antaresia

Are we only allowed to keep A. stimsoni stimsoni here in WA?

It doesnt matter Jonathon, CALM only class them as A.stimsoni

 

[Hickson]

Of Topic. This remaind me of the day I use to identify fish counting gill rakers, scales and teeth rows.

Pablo

Ugh! I know what you mean! Been there, done that - morphometrics and meristics - how may gillrakers on the upper and lower arch, spines vs rays, how many times does the width of the eye go into the length of the head.

Fun way to spend a weekend!



Hix

 

[africancichlidau]

But what if it has a deformed gill cover? Does that necessarily reduce the number of rakes?

 

[Nome]

A bit off topic, but i have been wondering after years of reading the word "Antaresia", how it is actually pronounced? I'd love it if someone could spell it out for me the best they can

 

[longtom]

small cluster of stars??

 

[longtom]

'spotted antaresia"with antaresia translating to"of antares" antares isthe brightest cluster of stars in the southern sky from barkers book quote

 

[Jason]

Ant-are-sia is hoe i say it, but i'd probly be wrong

 

[westaussie]

TLC, who was the dealer you got this animal from?

I have seen many wheatbelt stimsons, and in my opinion yours does not look like one from that area.
I could be wrong, but I think you have just been given an answer to keep you happy.