Acrochordus arafurae

Acrochordus arafurae, known by the common names Arafura file snake, elephant trunk snake, and wrinkle file snake, is an aquatic snake species found in northern Australia and New Guinea. No subspecies are currently recognized.[3]

Acrochordus arafurae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Acrochordidae
Genus: Acrochordus
Species:
A. arafurae
Binomial name
Acrochordus arafurae
McDowell, 1979
Synonyms
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Boulenger, 1893
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Flower, 1899
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Wall, 1903
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Lidth de Jeude, 1911
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Barbour, 1812
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Boulenger, 1914
  • Acrochordus javanicus – de Rooij, 1917
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Kinghorn, 1929
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Thomson, 1935
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Barrett, 1950
  • Acrochordus javanicus – De Haas, 1950
  • Achrochordus javanicus – Mitchell, 1955
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Kinghorn, 1956
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Worrell, 1963
  • Achrochordus javanicus – Cogger, 1964
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Mitchell, 1964
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Dunson & Dunson, 1973
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Cogger, 1975
  • Acrochordus arafurae – McDowell, 1979[2]

This snake was first described by Samuel Booker McDowell in 1979[4][5]

Description

Adults grown to 8.25 ft (2.5 m) in length.[6] They have very loose skin and are known to prey on large fish, such as eel-tailed catfish. Females are usually larger than males and they have been known to give birth to up to 17 young. The skin is used to make drums in New Guinea.

In Aboriginal language and culture

Arafura file snakes are often hunted by indigenous peoples of Northern Australia.

In the Kunwinjku language of West Arnhem Land, the snakes are known as kedjebe (or bekka in Eastern dialects),[7] while in the Yolŋu language of East Arnhem Land they are called djaykuŋ,[8] among other names.

References
  1. Sanders, K.; Guinea, M. & Cogger, H. (2010). "Acrochordus arafurae". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T176764A7299709. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176764A7299709.en. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. "Acrochordus arafurae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
  4. "Australian Faunal Directory: Acrochordus arafurae". biodiversity.org.au. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  5. S. B. McDowell (26 February 1979). "A Catalogue of the Snakes of New Guinea and the Solomons, with Special Reference to Those in the Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Part III. Boinae and Acrochordoidea (Reptilia, Serpentes)". Journal of Herpetology. 13 (1): 1–92. doi:10.2307/1563761. ISSN 0022-1511. JSTOR 1563761. Wikidata Q56037668.
  6. Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. Dorling Kindersley. 624 pp. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.
  7. Garde, Murray. "kedjebe". Bininj Kunwok Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. "djaykuŋ". Yolŋu Matha Dictionary. Charles Darwin University. Retrieved 10 June 2020.


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