Reptilia - Squamata - Pythonidae

PaleoDB taxon number: 288244

Alternative combination: Montypythonoides riversleighensis

Synonyms: Liasis olivaceus Gray 1842 (no. 269389), Morelia antiqua Smith and Plane 1985 (no. 288225), Morelia antiquus Smith and Plane 1985 (no. 269372)

Full reference: M. J. Smith and M. Plane. 1985. Pythonine snakes (Boidae) from the Miocene of Australia. BMR Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics 9(2):191-195

Belongs to Morelia according to J. D. Scanlon 2001

Sister taxon: Morelia spilota

Type specimens:

• Morelia riversleighensis: QMF 12926, a maxilla (partial right maxilla with 9 teeth). Its type locality is Henk's Hollow Locality, which is in a Miocene terrestrial limestone in Australia.
• Morelia antiqua: CPC 25077 (not 20577 as given by Smith & Plane), a mandible (right dentary with 12 teeth). Its type locality is Small Hills locality, which is in a Miocene terrestrial limestone in the Camfield Beds Formation of Australia.

Ecology: ground dwelling carnivore