title: A new species of death adder (Acanthophis: Serpentes: Elapidae) from north-western Australia.
abstract: Australian death adders (genus Acanthophis) are highly venomous snakes with conservative morphology and sit-and-wait predatory habits, with only moderate taxonomic diversity that nevertheless remains incompletely understood. Analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences and morphological characteristics of death adders in northern Australia reveal the existence of a new species from the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which we describe as Acanthophis cryptamydros sp. nov. Although populations from the Kimberley were previously considered conspecific with Northern Territory death adders of the A. rugosus complex, our mtDNA analysis indicates that its closest relatives are desert death adders, A. pyrrhus. We found that A. cryptamydros sp. nov. is distinct in both mtDNA and nDNA analysis, and possesses multiple morphological characteristics that allow it to be distinguished from all other Acanthophis species. This study further supports the Kimberley region as an area with high endemic biodiversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, Darwin Building, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; Email: s.t.maddock@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Simon T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Maddock
authors.affiliation: Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew St, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew St, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Doughty
authors.affiliation: Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew St, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wüster
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D017753:Ecosystem; D017815:Elapidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009929:Organ Size; D010802:Phylogeny; D014904:Western Australia