KATRINUS GEN. NOV.
TYPE SPECIES: LIASIS FUSCUS PETERS, 1873
DIAGNOSIS: A group of medium to large pythons from the Austro-Papuan region, most closely related to Liasis and more distantly the other Australasian genera including Morelia. Katrinus is readily identified by the following suite of characters: They have large teeth on the premaxilla. The head is covered by large symmetrical shields and there are pits in some of the labial scales. Katrinus are separated from Antaresia by having a single loreal rather than two or more.
Katrinus are separated from Leiopython by having two pairs of prefrontals as opposed to having a pair. Katrinus are separated from Liasis by usually having 55 or less mid-body rows (Liasis usually has over 60). Katrinus are invariably associated with watercourses and are commonly known as 'Water Pythons'.
Diagnostic information for the species fuscus is provided by Hoser (1989). Breeding information on the species is provided by Ross and Marzec (1990) and other authors. Also included in the genus Katrinus are the species mackloti and savuensis. The species fuscus has been divided into two subspecies. The nominate form is herein restricted to continental Australia only. Snakes from New Guinea are herein transferred to the subspecies cornwallisius (see below). The species mackloti is subdivided into the two subspecies mackloti and dunni. The form from Semao is also probably a subspecies of the nominate Timor race.
ETYMOLOGY: Named after Katrina Hoser. The author's mother.
The above was from the paper - A revision of the Australiasian Pythons.
(Originally published in Ophidia Review 1(1) in "Autumn" 2000 - (Publication date: October 2000), pp. 7-27).
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