Python (genus)

Taxonomy

The generic name Python was proposed by François Marie Daudin in 1803 for non-venomous snakes with a flecked skin and a long split tongue.

In 1993, seven python species were recognized as valid taxa. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, between seven and 13 python species are recognized.

Distribution and habitat

In Africa, pythons are native to the tropics south of the Sahara, but not in the extreme south-western tip of southern Africa (Western Cape) or in Madagascar. In Asia, they occur from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, including the Nicobar Islands, through Myanmar, east to Indochina, southern China, Hong Kong and Hainan, as well as in the Malayan region of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Invasive

Some suggest that P. bivittatus and P. sebae have the potential to be problematic invasive species in South Florida. In early 2016, after a culling operation yielded 106 pythons, Everglades National Park officials suggested that "thousands" may live within the park, and that the species has been breeding there for some years. More recent data suggest that these pythons would not withstand winter climates north of Florida, contradicting previous research suggesting a more significant geographic potential range.

Uses

Python skin is used to make clothing, such as vests, belts, boots and shoes, or fashion accessories such as handbags. It may also be stretched and formed as the sound board of some string musical instruments, such as the erhu spike-fiddle, sanxian and the sanshin lutes. With a high demand of snake skin in the current fashion industry, countries in Africa and Southern Asia partake in the legal and illegal selling of python skin. Providing an extremely low pay for the hunters with an extremely high selling product for the consumers, there is an enormous gap between the beginning and end of the snake skin trade.

As pets

Many Python species, such as P. regius, P. brongersmai, P. bivittatus and M. reticulatus, are popular to keep as pets due to their ease of care, docile temperament, and vibrant colors, with some rare mutations having been sold for several thousands of dollars. Pythons in the pet trade are sourced from the wild, or from captive females that were taken from the wild ('captive-born'), or from parents that themselves were born in a captive setting ('captive-bred') Despite controversy that has arisen from media reports, with proper safety procedures pet pythons are relatively safe to own.

Etymology

The word 'Python' is derived from the Latin word 'pȳthon' and the Greek word 'πύθων', both referring to Python, "the serpent slain, according to the myth, near Delphi by Apollo, who was fabled to have been called Pythius in commemoration of this victory".

References

References

1. (1999). "Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Volume 1". Herpetologists' League.
2. (1803). "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles. Tome 8". De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart.
3. (2015). "A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
4. (1993). "Aspidites and the phylogeny of pythonine snakes". Records of the Australian Museum.
5. (2004). "A molecular approach to discerning the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic snake ''Xenophidion schaeferi'' among the Alethinophidia". Journal of Zoology.
6. (2014). "Toward a tree-of-life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
7. Linnaeus, C.. (1758). "Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis". Laurentii Salvii.
8. (2021). "''Python molurus''".
9. Gmelin, J. F.. (1788). "Caroli a Linné. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis". Georg Emanuel Beer.
10. Alexander, G.J.. (2021). "''Python sebae''".
11. (1802). "General zoology, or Systematic natural history. Volume III, Part II". G. Kearsley.
12. D'Cruze, N.. (2021). "''Python regius''".
13. (1820). "Beiträge zur Zoologie und vergleichenden Anatomie". Verlag der Hermannschen Buchhandlung.
14. (2019). "''Python bivittatus''".
15. Smith, A.. (1849). "Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa : consisting chiefly of figures and descriptions of the objects of natural history collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836; fitted out by "the Cape of Good Hope Association for exploring Central Africa": together with a summary of African zoology, and an inquiry into the geographical ranges of species in that quarter of the globe". Smith, Elder and Co.
16. Alexander, G.J.. (2021). "''Python natalensis''".
17. (1872). "De Diergaarde van het Koninklijk Zoölogisch Genootschap Natura Artis Magistra te Amsterdam: De Kruipende Dieren". Van Es.
18. Inger, R.F.. (2014). "''Python curtus''".
19. (1880). "Über eine neue Pythonart (''Python breitensteini'') aus Borneo". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien.
20. Inger, R.F.. (2012). "''Python breitensteini''".
21. Baptista, N.. (2021). "''Python anchietae''".
22. Grismer, L.. (2012). "''Python brongersmai''".
23. (2011). "Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.
24. Wogan, G.. (2012). "''Python kyaiktiyo''".
25. (2003). "Non-erycine Booidea from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe". Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals.
26. (2008). "Python Snakes, An Invasive Species In Florida, Could Spread To One Third Of US". ScienceDaily.
27. (2010). "Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons". Biological Invasions.
28. "About Sanshin: Introduction to the asian banjo - the Okinawan sanshin".
29. (2020). "Hunting and trading activities of reticulated python (''Python reticulatus'') in South Sulawesi, Indonesia: A report from the field". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.
30. Nijman, Vincent. (2022-11-05). "Harvest quotas, free markets and the sustainable trade in pythons". Nature Conservation.
31. "Malayopython reticulatus". The Reptile Database.
32. "Playing with the Big Boys: Handling Large Constrictors".
33. (1879). "A Latin Dictionary". Clarendon Press.