Goodbye Stimsons

[Pythonguy1]

So has anyone else heard what recently happened with the species Anteresia stimsoni?

[chairman]

No, but I take it biologists used DNA to decide the species (or sub species) doesn't exist?

This all started with Pluto...

[Pythonguy1]

Yes the DNA was tested and they concluded that Stimson's and children's are now the same species only with different polymorphism. This is something myself and other herpers have been saying for years. And it's only been made official now. This as well as splitting the spotted pythons into two subspecies (antaresia maculosa maculosa and antaresia maculosa peninsularis), plus including an entirely new species of anteresia in Papua new guinea wich was originally thought to be a spotted python. It has now been changed to antaresia papuensis.
True, Pluto started it all...

[Pythonguy1]

Here's the link to the study...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790321001147

[chairman]

I'm not familiar enough with children's and Stimson's to really have an opinion. I imagine it would be best for the US hobby to keep the distinction to help keep the localities separate. From my understanding, our black heads and womas suffer from a lack of strong locality lines.

[Pythonguy1]

Yeah true mate. Even here in Australia any stimmies I breed I'll still class as stimmies. We are never going to Actually "lose" stimson pythons. They are officially classed as the same species but the only difference is that people who don't know how to tell stimsons and childrens apart wont have to anymore. But like I said, we knew this for ages and it's only been made official now. Daimond pythons are carpet pythons but will still say daimond python. Stimson pythons are childrens pythons but we will still call them stimson pythons (they weren't seperate localities they were actually seperate species). Wether or not they will be classed as seperate subspecies or not I'm not sure, but for now it's only different polymorphism.
I wasn't aware of that happening with BHP's and Womas'. Do people confuse them for the same thing or something? Cause there is substantial difference between the two lol.

[chairman]

The Womas and BHP are kept separate, but it is my understanding that compared to Australian specimens, other lines tend to pale in comparison. I'd be willing to bet that even locality "Stimson's" vary greatly from those in the US market.

[Pythonguy1]

The Womas and BHP are kept separate, but it is my understanding that compared to Australian specimens, other lines tend to pale in comparison. I'd be willing to bet that even locality "Stimson's" vary greatly from those in the US market.
Yeah true they most likely would. But it depends if your referring to Stimson's as a species or a locality.