Pseudechis australis
| Mulga snake | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Genus: | Pseudechis |
| Species: | P. australis |
| Binomial name | |
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Pseudechis australis (Gray, 1842) |
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| Range of king brown (in red) | |
The mulga snake (Pseudechis australis), is a species of venomous snake found in Australia. It is one of the longest venomous snakes in the world, the largest in Australia and is the second-longest in Australia (surpassed only by the coastal taipan). Its alternative common name is "'king brown snake'", although it is a species in the genus Pseudechis (black snakes) and only distantly related to true brown snakes.
The species was first described by John Edward Gray in 1842, who placed it in the genus Naja (cobras). The species was long regarded as monotypic, but several new taxa have recently been described from within P. australis. Two new species and a new genus have been described within this complex by Raymond Hoser: Pailsus pailsei, from near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia and Pailsus rossignolii, found in Irian Jaya. Hoser later also resurrected Pailsus weigeli (originally described as Cannia weigeli by Wells and Wellington 1987). These descriptions were initially received with skepticism due to the low level of evidence provided in the original descriptions. Later genetic analyses supported the validity of some of Hoser's species, but his genus Pailsus was shown to be a synonym of Pseudechis, and more work is needed to understand species limits among the smaller species of the group. The most recent published study suggested the existence of four smaller species associated with P. australis from northern Australia and New Guinea.
Mulga snakes are large, venomous snakes growing up to 2.5 to 3.0 m (8.2 to 9.8 ft) in length in the largest specimens, although 1.5 m (4.9 ft) is a more typical length for an average adult. It is exceeded in length among venomous snakes only by the Asiatic king cobra, some species of African mambas, genus Lachesis (bushmasters) of the American neotropics, and the Australian taipan. A good-sized adult mulga snake of 2.0 to 2.5 m (6.6 to 8.2 ft) length can weigh 3 to 6 kg (6.6 to 13.2 lb), and mulga snakes are often heavier than the co-occurring taipans. The colour of the snakes differs from area to area within their range; they can be a light brown colour in the desert to a dark, brown-blackish colour in the cooler regions of Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. This snake is robust, with a wide head and smooth snout.
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