Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis
| Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Toxicocalamus |
| Species: | T. goodenoughensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis Roberts and Austin, 2020
| |
Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. It is endemic to Goodenough Island in New Guinea.[1] The snake was first collected in 2012 and described to science as a new species in 2020.[2]
Description
Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis is approximately 691 mm (27.2 in) in length. The body is uniformly a slightly iridescent dark gray-brown color, outside of mottled yellow coloration around the face and neck.[2]
Little is known about its behavior outside of outward similarities to other members of Toxicocalamus, such as feeding on earthworms and living primarily subterranean lives. It can be differentiated from other members of its genus by differences in its facial scales and subcaudals.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, goodenoughensis, refers to Goodenough island, where it was discovered and is currently the only place that it has been observed.
Taxonomic evaluation
Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis was described from two specimens, the holotype and paratype in 2020. It was published in the Journal of Herpetology, a journal of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
Toxicocalamus goodenoughensis was found to form a clade with T. nigrescens, sister to the T. loriae clade and a T. pachysomus clade.[2]
References
- ^ a b Kraus, Fred; Kaiser, Hinrich; O'Shea, Mark (November 10, 2022). "Hidden diversity in semi-fossorial Melanesian forest snakes: A revision of the Toxicocalamus loriae complex (Squamata, Elapidae) from New Guinea". Vertebrate Zoology (72): 997–1034. doi:10.3897/vz.72.e89647. hdl:2436/625001. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Austin, Christopher C.; Roberts, Jackson R. (December 16, 2020). "A New Species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake (Elapidae: Toxicocalamus Boulenger, 1896), with Comments on Postfrontal Bone Variation Based on Micro-computed Tomography". Journal of Herpetology. 54 (4): 446–459. doi:10.1670/20-043. Retrieved July 23, 2025.