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Description |
Geographic Range [top]
Range Description: This species has a restricted range on mainland Papua New Guinea (Morehead and Balamuk, southwest Western Province) and in Indonesian New Guinea (Merauke). It is found also on the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia, and as currently understood ranges in Australia from the Queensland-Northern Territory border region across the Top End to the border with Western Australia (Wüster et al. 2005, Cogger 2014)
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Australia (Northern Territory); Indonesia (Papua); Papua New Guinea
Additional data:
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Population [top]
Population: There is evidence of population decline within its Australian range in areas where cane toads have arrived (G. Gillespie pers. comm. 2017).
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
Additional data:
? Population severely fragmented: No
Habitat and Ecology [top]
Habitat and Ecology: This species is found in monsoon forest habitats, in lowland areas and stony hills and ranges. It has also been encountered in seasonally flooded savanna woodland, grassland and modified areas such as cultivated gardens. It is a nocturnal and secretive snake that is frequently found buried under rubbish or vegetation debris. It is sit-and-wait predator that uses a tail luring technique (twitching the tip of the tail) to attract the prey within striking distance. (Cogger 2014) Its diet presumably consists of terrestrial skinks and other lizards, birds or small mammals and frogs. It is an ovoviviparous species; mean litter size of the Papua New Guinean population is around 11. The Papua New Guinean subpopulation appears to feed mostly on frogs and lizards (O’Shea 1996, Shupe 2013, Shine et al. 2014).
Systems: Terrestrial
Use and Trade [top]
Use and Trade: Death adders are harvested and bred in captivity for the pet trade. No figures are available for the number of Acanthophis rugosus in commercial trade.
Threats [top]
Major Threat(s): In New Guinea it is unlikely that there are any major threats impacting this species. It may be impacted by pressures on its habitat in Merauke, Indonesia, which is heavily developed for both the urban centre and rice paddies. As this sit-and-wait predator relies on ground mulch and litter for refuge and native fauna for food, it may be disproportionately sensitive to habitat disturbance (Reed and Shine 2002, Mirtschin and Davis 1985). Within Papua New Guinea, however, no major threats are thought to exist as this area is very lightly developed (M. OShea pers. comm. 2015). Some species of death adders (Acanthophis spp.) are harvested and bred in captivity for the pet trade. In Australia Cane Toads have caused drastic declines in some areas (G. Gillespie pers. comm. 2017).
Conservation Actions [top]
Conservation Actions: There are no known species-specific conservation measures in place for this species. It occurs in the Tonda Protected Area in Papua New Guinea, and in Australia it has been recorded from Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. Further research into the range and taxonomy of the population in northern Australia presently included within this species is recommended.
Citation: Tallowin, O., Parker, F., OShea, M., Woinarski, J., Gillespie, G., Greenlees, M., Cogger, H., McDonald, P. & Fenner, A. 2018. Acanthophis rugosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T177483A21648923. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T177483A21648923.en. Downloaded on 04 September 2018.
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