Morelia mippughae Hoser, 2004

Schleip, Wulf D. & O'Shea, Mark, 2010, Annotated checklist of the recent and extinct pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution, ZooKeys 66, pp. 29-80 : 45-46

Morelia mippughae Hoser, 2004 [nomen dubium (APP5)]

Holotype:

SAMA R14261.

Type locality:

Iron Duchess, Middleback Ranges, South Australia.

Remarks:

Hoser (2004) separated this taxon from its relative Morelia macburniei "by a lower incidence of scale anomalies" ( Hoser 2004) of the ventral scales. This is meaningless because most populations will show few anonomalies, hence, using the "normal state" as a character does not differentiate this taxon from others. Hoser (2004) continued that this taxon has "more rhomboidal-shaped dorsal scales as opposed to having lanceolate-shaped dorsal scales" ( Hoser 2004), which is, according to Schwaner et al. (1988) also true for Morelia spilota variegata (also see remarks on Morelia macburniei ). It is further separated from its closest relative Morelia spilota metcalfei by its color pattern and from all other Morelia by coloration and patterning. Hoser claimed that "a suite of characteristics" separate this taxon from its closest relatives Morelia macburniei and Morelia metcalfei , but failed to enumerate characters other than those cited above. Hence, the name cannot clearly be assigned to a specimen and this name is therefore considered a nomen dubium (APP5). Mense (2006), Henderson and Powell (2007), and Swan (2007) did not list this taxon.