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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: April 12th, 2025.


Taxonomy of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]
Bibliography of the genus Oxyuranus
Biodiversity of the family Elapidae [terrestrial species]








Genus
Oxyuranus

Taipans

Taipane

Taipaner

1923 Oxyuranus Kinghorn (type species: Oxyuranus maclennani Kinghorn 1923)
1955 Parademansia Kinghorn (type species: Diemenia microlepidota McCoy 1879; syn. Cogger 2014 [by implication])
Contents: 3 species, of which 2 (66.7%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: Australia, New Guinea.
Reported from: Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland [incl. Fraser Island, Torres Strait Islands], South Australia, Western Australia), Indonesia (Sudarso Island, Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea (Eastern New Guinea).

Meristic and other data
of the world's snakes.
Compiled by
V. Wallach
Key to abbreviations


Head drawings of the
genus Oxyuranus.
Compiled by
V. Wallach

Oxyuranus microlepidotus

Inland Taipan, Small-scaled Snake, Fierce Snake, (Western Taipan)

Inlandtaipan

Østlig Ørkentaipan

1879 Diemenia microlepidota McCoy
Pseudechis microlepidotus Boulenger 1896
Parademansia microlepidota Kinghorn 1955
Oxyuranus microlepidotus Covacevich, McDowell, Tanner & Mengden 1981
1882 Diemenia ferox Macleay (Golay & al. 1993)
Pseudechis ferox Boulenger 1896

Remarks: Previously regarded as a western form of scutellatus. Revalidated by Covacevich & Wombey (1976). Regionally extinct in Victoria (Wilson & Swan 2010).
Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia).


Oxyuranus microlepidotus
© Rune Midtgaard

Oxyuranus scutellatus

Eastern Taipan, Common Taipan, (Taipan)

Östliche Taipan

Kysttaipan

1867 Pseudechis scutellatus Peters
Oxyuranus scutellatus Thompson 1933
1911 Pseudechis wilesmithii De Vis (Golay & al. 1993)
1923 Oxyuranus maclennani Kinghorn (Golay & al. 1993)
1956 Oxyuranus scutellatus canni Slater
Oxyuranus canni Wells & Wellington 1985

Other common names:
canni: Papuan Taipan   
Papuataipan
scutellatus: Australian Taipan   
Australsk Kysttaipan
Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland [incl. Fraser Island, Torres Strait Islands], Western Australia), Indonesia (Sudarso Island, Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea (Eastern New Guinea).


Oxyuranus scutellatus
© Rune Midtgaard

Oxyuranus temporalis

Western Desert Taipan, Central Ranges Taipan

Westliche Wüstentaipan

Vestlig Ørkentaipan

2007 Oxyuranus temporalis Doughty, Maryan, Donnellan & Hutchinson

Distribution: Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia).