View source for Biology:Antaresia

{{Short description|Genus of snakes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Childrens Python (Antaresia childreni) (8692425238).jpg
| image_caption = Children's python, ''[[Biology:Antaresia childreni|A. childreni]]''
| taxon = Antaresia
| authority = Wells & Wellington, 1984
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = Four species and two subspecies, see text.
| synonyms =
* ''Antaresia'' <small>Wells & Wellington, 1984</small><ref name="McD99">McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T (1999). ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1''. Washington, District of Columbia. Herpetologists' League. {{ISBN|1-893777-00-6}} (series). {{ISBN|1-893777-01-4}} (volume). ''Antaresia'': pp. 162–163.</ref>
| type_species = ''[[Biology:Antaresia childreni|Antaresia childreni]]''
}}

'''''Antaresia''''' is a [[Biology:Genus|genus]] of pythons, nonvenomous snakes in the family [[Biology:Pythonidae|Pythonidae]]. The genus is native to [[Place:Australasia|Australasia]]. The genus is known by the [[Biology:Common name|common name]] '''Children's pythons''', the name of the  [[Biology:Type species|type species]], ''[[Biology:Antaresia childreni|Antaresia childreni]]''. Gray named ''A. childreni'' in honour of his mentor, John George Children, who was a curator of the zoological collection at the British Museum around that time. It contains the smallest members of the [[Biology:Pythonidae|Pythonidae]].<ref name="Bush">{{cite book|last=Browne-Cooper|first=Robert|author2=Bush, Brian|author3=Maryan, Brad|author4=Robinson, David |title=Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia|year=2007|publisher=University of Western Australia Press|isbn=978-1-920694-74-6|pages=99}}</ref> Four [[Biology:Species|species]] and two subspecies are recognized, although they were all considered part of the same species until recently.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=634407 |taxon=''Antaresia'' |accessdate=24 June 2021}}</ref> A newly described form called the pygmy banded python may be a distinct species, but analysis has not yet been performed on this animal. The largest recorded examples of ''Antaresia'' species have all been males, suggesting males of the known species in this genus may compete for females. This behavior has never been witnessed in the wild, and has only been witnessed in captive specimens.<ref name=JulMutBir>{{cite book |last1=Julander |first1=Justin |last2=Mutton |first2=Nick |last3=Birch |first3=Peter |title=The Complete Children's Python: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Care, and Breeding of ''Antaresia'' Species |date=2013 |publisher=ECO Herpetological Publishing & Distribution |isbn=978-1-938850-05-9 }}{{page needed|date=June 2021}}</ref>

==Geographic range==
Species in the genus ''Antaresia'' are found in {{wipe|Australia}}, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, in arid and tropical regions.<ref name="McD99"/>

==Species==
{|cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;"
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Species<ref name="ITIS"/><ref>{{NRDB genus|genus=Antaresia |access-date=24 June 2021}}</ref>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Taxon author<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Common name
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Geographic range<ref name="McD99"/>
|-
|''[[Biology:Antaresia childreni|A. childreni]]''<span style="font-size:100%;"><sup>T</sup></span>
[[File:Childrens Python 3.JPG|150px]]
|(Gray, 1842)
|Children's python
|style="width:40%"|{{wipe|Australia}} in the extreme north of Western Australia, the northern third of Northern Territory, and northeastern Queensland, and on the islands of the Torres Strait
|-
|''A. maculosa''
[[File:Antaresia maculosa.jpg|150px]]
|(W. Peters, 1873)
|spotted python
|Australia from the extreme north of the Cape York Peninsula, south through eastern Queensland to northern New South Wales, and on many islands off the coast of Queensland
|-
|''[[Biology:Antaresia papuensis|A. papuensis]]''
|(D. Esquerré, 2021)
|Papuan spotted python
|New Guinea and Torres Strait
|-
|''A. perthensis''
[[File:Antaresia perthensis.jpg|150px]]
|(Stull, 1932)
|pygmy python
|Australia in the northwest of Western Australia, including some coastal islands
|}

*) Not including the nominate subspecies.
<span style="font-size:100%;"><sup>T</sup></span>) [[Biology:Type species|Type species]].<ref name="McD99"/>

==Taxonomy==
The [[Biology:Genus|generic]] name, ''Antaresia'', is taken from the star [[Astronomy:Antares|Antares]] in the constellation [[Astronomy:Scorpius|Scorpius]]. The generic name was created in 1984 by Wells and Wellington in a revision of Children's pythons, those previously described as a single species in the genus ''[[Biology:Liasis|Liasis]]''.  Despite a petition to suppress the taxonomic work of these authors, it gained wide acceptance and publication in 1991.

Four [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt species] and two subspecies are currently recognized in the genus ''Antaresia'', which is contained by the family [[Biology:Pythonidae|Pythonidae]]; infraspecific ranks have also been described.<ref name="ITIS"/>

A subspecies, ''A. stimsoni orientalis'' was described by L.A. Smith (1985), but was not recognized as valid by Barker & Barker (1994).<ref name="McD99"/> It is now recognized as valid by [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt ITIS], as well as A. stimsoni stimsoni.

.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Esquerré|first1=Damien|last2=Donnellan|first2=Stephen C.|last3=Pavón-Vázquez|first3=Carlos J.|last4=Fenker|first4=Jéssica|last5=Keogh|first5=J. Scott|title=Phylogeography, historical demography and systematics of the world's smallest pythons (Pythonidae, ''Antaresia'')|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|date=August 2021|volume=161|pages=107181|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107181|pmid=33892100}} (''Antaresia papuensis'', new species).</ref>

==In captivity==
The members of the genus ''Antaresia'' are often kept as pets due to their small size, docile temperaments, strong feeding responses, resiliency and easy captive care. They are often seen as a good beginner species for keeping reptiles, particularly snakes. While not as popular or diverse in colors as ball pythons, these snakes can range in color from albino and leucistic to ebony, melanistic, and piebald color morphs to name a few. The varying coloration between individuals also makes them quite attractive to many who work with and breed exotic reptiles. In captivity, the members of this genus are very tolerant of differing humidity levels ranging from 20%-80% due to the wide range of habitats they occur in, and shedding problems that occur in captive animals are usually the result of temperatures being too high or low rather than problems with humidity. ''Antaresia'' species are also fairly easy to breed, though some individuals (mostly males) may refuse to eat when they are interested in mating.<ref name=JulMutBir/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Wells RW, Wellington CR (1984) ("1983"). "A Synopsis of the Class Reptilia in Australia". ''Australian Journal of Herpetology'' '''1''' (3–4): 73–129. (''Antaresia'', new genus).

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.antaresia.org  Antaresia.org]. Four ''Antaresia'' species information.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170915044352/http://antaresia.info/ Antaresia.info]. Accessed 13 November 2007.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q866457}}

[[Category:Pythonidae]]
[[Category:Snake genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Antaresia}}