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Distribution

White-Lipped Pythons are widespread throughout New Guinea and are also found on several nearby islands such as Salawati Island (terra typica of Hubrecht's Leiopython gracilis), Biak Island, the northern most Torres Strait Islands, politically belonging to Australia, and on the two remote islands of the St. Matthias group Mussau and Emirau in the Bismarck Archipelago. The occurrence on the Australian mainland at the northern tip of Queensland around the Pascoe River, Cape York Peninsula, as stated by Ehmann (1982), remains unconfirmed, and the specimens might have been confused with the Brown Water Python (Liasis fuscus Peters 1873). The occurrence at Aru Island assumed by Hoser (2000) is also quite questionable. The occurrence on Normanby Island, as stated by McDowell (1975) and some subsequent workers, appears to be erroneous due to the fact that McDowell had assigned “Bara Bara” to this island rather than to the mainland of the Milne Bay Province as stated by Boulenger (1898) and Koopman (1982). Due to the fact that the genus has been monotypic until recently, most data of distribution and collecting referred to Leiopython albertisii. Therefore, it is not easy to specify distributional bonderies to each species. (klick on pictures below for full size view) Figure 14: Distribution map of species of the genus Leiopython. The symbols on the map represent collecting localities. Leiopython albertisii Leiopython albertisii is a widespread species ranging from Sorong (including Salawati Island) and the Fak Fak regency on the Onin Peninsula to Madang at the east coast of PNG (Fig.). However, it remains unclear whether the distribution is disjunctive at the southeastern part of the Manokwari regency and along the north coast of the Yapen-Waropen and Nabire regencies. Nevertheless, specimens were collected at the Jayapura regency (Toem, Doromena, Joka and around the Lake Santiani), the Sanduan (former West Sepik) and East Sepik Provinces (on the foot of the Torricelli Mountains, Aitape, Mt. Somoro and Lumi, Wewak, Marienberg) and at the Madang Province (Siar, Madang, and Alexishafen), although no specimens were sighted in the Kau Wildlife area, a lowland rain-forest area near Madang (Austin, 2006). In the Morobe Province, this species is replaced by Leiopython huonensis at the southern Huon Peninsula and by Leiopython bennettorum at Wau. Leiopython hoserae Leiopython hoserae differs not only morphologically from Leiopython albertisii but is also geographically separated from the latter taxon by the Central Mountain Range, a known zoogeographic barrier that limits the distributional range of Leiopython hoserae to the south of the mountain range. In PNG, Leiopython hoserae is a common species around the Port Moresby/Sogeri area, where it replaces the more commonly found Papuan Carpet Python (Morelia spilota variegata) in the lowland (O’Shea, 1996). It is also found around Alotau (Milne Bay Province) and Popondetta (Oro Province). In the highlands of the Owen Stanley Range specimens were found at Garaina and Kokoda, but these specimens are somewhat aberrant from other specimens of this species. Although Leiopython hoserae was found in the Gulf Province at Malalaua, near the border to the Central Province, and at Omati, near to the border of the Western Province, this species seems to be absent from major parts of the Gulf Province. In the Western Province, PNG, Leiopython hoserae is commonly found in the southern trans-Fly River region (Oriomo Plateau). Specimens were reported from Daru (mainland), Abam, Boze, Wipim, and Morehead. Northwards it was found at Emeti and at the upper Fly River region around Lake Murray, Kiunga, Ningerum, and Oslobip but is not a common species there. Barker and Barker (1994) gave a detailed description of specimens from the northern islands of the Torres Strait, politically belonging to Australia. In the Indonesian part of New Guinea, this species occurs around Merauke, but it remains unclear how far the distribution of Leiopython hoserae extends westward. However, specimens were collected at the coastal area of Timika but showed morphological differences to Leiopython hoserae from PNG. Nevertheless, specimens from the south coast of Papua are considered conspecific with Leiopython hoserae. Leiopython bennettorum Leiopython bennettorum only occurs at Wau at an elevation between 1,050 and 1,400 m. Leiopython huonensis This species, the Huon White-Lipped Python only occurs on the Huon peninsula at the east coast of PNG, and is found around Finschhafen and Lae up to Dumpu, all in the Morobe Province (marked green in the map). Leiopython fredparkeri Little is known about the distributional extent of this species in the Simbu Province, and specimens were hitherto only collected from the Tive Plateau, Bomai, at an altitude of 1,100 m and from ‘‘Karimui’’ at an elevation up to 1,500 m. Although no precise data of the collecting locality are available, it may be assumed that this species was collected from the Karimui Basin. This Basin forms a plateau at an elevation between 1,000 and 1,500 m, surrounded by a ring of mountains, which isolates the more lowland fauna of the basin from others and is home of several endemic bird species (Diamond, 1967, 1972). Leiopython biakensis As the species names suggests, this species, the Biak White-Lipped Python, occurs on Biak Island.