Annotated checklist of the recent and extinct pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution

Schleip, Wulf D.; O’Shea, Mark

doi:10.3897/zookeys.66.683

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Field observations in the native range indicate that the two species utilize distinct habitats with some overlapping ranges. Python bivittatus prefers riverine forests and flooded grasslands, while P. molurus occupies dry, sandy, and woodland areas (Schleip & O'Shea, ). Hybridization of the two species could allow for improved acclimatization and adaptability to abiotic stressors or climate change and result in broader or more rapid distributions of the invasive population (Hoffmann & Sgrò, ; Mazzotti et al., ; Rodda, Jarnevich, & Reed, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hybridization of the two species in the invasive range could affect climatic suitability and adaptation potential (as discussed previously) and also subsequent genetic analyses such as environmental DNA detection (Ryan et al., ; Wilcox et al., ). Here, we follow the most recent classification by Schleip and O'Shea () and consider the Burmese python ( P. bivittatus ) and Indian python ( P. molurus ) as distinct species. To date, the GEE population has been morphologically identified as Python bivittatus throughout the invasive range.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)

Hunter

Johnson

Smith

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) has been reproducing in the Florida Everglades since the 1980s. These giant constrictor snakes have caused a precipitous decline in small mammal populations in southern Florida following escapes or releases from the commercial pet trade. To better understand the invasion pathway and genetic composition of the population, two mitochondrial (mtDNA) loci across 1,398 base pairs were sequenced on 426 snakes and 22 microsatellites were assessed on 389 snakes. Concatenated mtDNA sequences produced six haplotypes with an average nucleotide and haplotype diversity of π = 0.002 and h = 0.097, respectively. Samples collected in Florida from morphologically identified P. bivittatus snakes were similar to published cytochrome oxidase 1 and cytochrome b sequences from both P. bivittatus and Python molurus and were highly divergent (genetic distances of 5.4% and 4.3%, respectively). The average number of microsatellite alleles and expected heterozygosity were N A = 5.50 and H E = 0.60, respectively. Nuclear Bayesian assignment tests supported two genetically distinct groups and an admixed group, not geographically differentiated. The effective population size (N E = 315.1) was lower than expected for a population this large, but reflected the low genetic diversity overall. The patterns of genetic diversity between mtDNA and microsatellites were disparate, indicating nuclear introgression of separate mtDNA lineages corresponding to cytonuclear discordance. The introgression likely occurred prior to the invasion, but genetic information on the native range and commercial trade is needed for verification. Our finding that the Florida python population is comprised of distinct lineages suggests greater standing variation for adaptation and the potential for broader areas of suitable habitat in the invaded range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)

Hunter

Johnson

Smith

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Schleip & O'Shea () then identified ‘viridis N’ as Chondropython azureus (Meyer, ). They noted that Chondropython is now recognized as a junior synonym to Morelia ; this then requires that azureus be corrected for gender to ‘ azurea ’.…”

Section: The Neotype For Morelia Azureamentioning

confidence: 53%

“…Based on the accepted feminine gender of Morelia , it is necessary to correct the original azureus for gender to azurea . This species is correctly identified as azurea , as was done by Schleip & O'Shea (). M. azurea is the sister species to M. viridis (Rawlings & Donnellan, ).…”

Section: The Neotype For Morelia Azureamentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage

Barker¹,

Barker²,

Davis

et al. 2015

Zool J Linn Soc

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Here we review research over the past quarter century regarding the systematics and taxonomy of an ancient, popular and economically valuable group of snakes referred to as pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae). All recent phylogenetic studies recognize the pythons as monophyletic; however, the phylogenetic relationships at supraspecific levels are conflicting, and many of the relationships recovered are paraphyletic. We identify several taxonomic changes as necessary to clarify supraspecific relationships and which resolve the issue of paraphyly recovered in several studies. Overall, our review of the phylogenetic systematics of pythons points to considerable incongruence among recovered relationships. Instances of paraphyly emerge, low node support is detected, and terminal taxa are unstable across phylogenetic hypotheses. We thus recognize that pythonid gene trees have been unable, for various reasons, to reveal the true species tree. This occurrence is not unexpected and can arise from incomplete taxon sampling, long-branch attraction and repulsion, homoplasy, ancestral polymorphism, and, more notably, the anomaly zone. These phenomena ultimately yield incomplete lineage sorting, or the failure of lineages to coalesce over evolutionary time. We discuss future directions to resolve these troubling issues. Without resolution, adaptive hypotheses about pythons will be limited, including hypotheses of geographic origin. Analyses that recover the clade Python as sister to the Indo-Australian clade are interpreted to support a Laurasian origin of Pythonidae. In contrast, a Gondwanan origin is supported when the Indo-Australian clade is recovered as basal to the Python clade. We describe the morphology of two recently proposed genera. Finally, we designate and describe the neotype for Morelia azurea and offer a list of the currently accepted python species and their taxonomy.

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“…Among the most widely known and impactful invasive species in the United States is the Burmese python ( Python molurus bivittatus ) (Engeman, Jacobson, Avery, & Meshaka, ; Schleip & O'Shea, ; Willson, Dorcas, & Snow, ). The Burmese python is a large constricting snake native to Southeast Asia (Barker & Barker, ) that has received substantial attention due to their recent and highly successful invasive colonization of South Florida (Engeman et al., ; Willson et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel ecological and climatic conditions drive rapid adaptation in invasive Florida Burmese pythons

et al. 2018

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Invasive species provide powerful in situ experimental systems for studying evolution in response to selective pressures in novel habitats. While research has shown that phenotypic evolution can occur rapidly in nature, few examples exist of genomewide adaptation on short “ecological” timescales. Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) have become a successful and impactful invasive species in Florida over the last 30 years despite major freeze events that caused high python mortality. We sampled Florida Burmese pythons before and after a major freeze event in 2010 and found evidence for directional selection in genomic regions enriched for genes associated with thermosensation, behaviour and physiology. Several of these genes are linked to regenerative organ growth, an adaptive response that modulates organ size and function with feeding and fasting in pythons. Independent histological and functional genomic data sets provide additional layers of support for a contemporary shift in invasive Burmese python physiology. In the Florida population, a shift towards maintaining an active digestive system may be driven by the fitness benefits of maintaining higher metabolic rates and body temperature during freeze events. Our results suggest that a synergistic interaction between ecological and climatic selection pressures has driven adaptation in Florida Burmese pythons, demonstrating the often‐overlooked potential of rapid adaptation to influence the success of invasive species.

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Annotated checklist of the recent and extinct pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution

Cited by 24 publications

References 64 publications

Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)

Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)

A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage

Novel ecological and climatic conditions drive rapid adaptation in invasive Florida Burmese pythons

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