''Leiopython biakensis'', the Biak white-lipped python, is a species of snake in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Pythonidae
The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 42 species are currently recognized.
Distributi ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the island of
Biak
Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals.
The large ...
, which lies north of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
.
The species is known from a few individuals collected on the southern part of the island. Little is known about its population or habitat.
Taxonomy
Some authorities consider it a population of the
Northern white-lipped python
D'Albertis' python (''Leiopython albertisii''), also known commonly as D'Albert's water python or the northern white-lipped python, is a species of python, a non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea. The ...
(''Leiopython albertisii'').
["''Leiopython albertisii'' (PETERS & DORIA, 1878). ''The Reptile Database''. Accessed 13 July 2021. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Leiopython&species=albertisii]
References
Pythonidae
Snakes of New Guinea
Endemic fauna of the Biak–Numfoor rain forests
\
Fauna of Western New Guinea
Reptiles described in 2008
{{snake-stub