NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gwardar
Pseudonaja mengdeni Wells & Wellington, 1985
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The western brown snake (Pseudonaja mengdeni) is commonly known as Mengden's brown snake, and alternatively, gwardar.
Pseudonaja mengdeni is endemic to Australia. It is highly variable in colour and patterns and is a highly dangerous elapid whose bite can cause severe symptoms resulting in death. It is one of the three species originally classified as Pseudonaja nuchalis along with P. aspidorhyncha, and P. nuchalis.
Wikipedia contributors, Pseudonaja mengdeni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:22:57.029423+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pseudonaja mengdeni Wells & Wellington, 1985
- Name authority
- Wells & Wellington, 1985
- Common name
- Gwardar
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Elapidae
- Genus
- Pseudonaja
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyElapidae
- subfamilyHydrophiinae
- genusPseudonaja
- speciesPseudonaja mengdeni Wells & Wellington, 1985
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pseudonaja. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ingram's Brown SnakePseudonaja ingrami (Boulenger, 1908) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ringed Brown SnakePseudonaja modesta (Günther, 1872) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| DugitePseudonaja affinis Günther, 1872 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pseudonaja aspidorhyncha (Mccoy, 1879) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Speckled Brown SnakePseudonaja guttata (Parker, 1926) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Peninsula Brown SnakePseudonaja inframacula (Waite, 1925) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| GwardarPseudonaja nuchalis Günther, 1858 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern brown snakePseudonaja textilis (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pseudonaja&species=mengdeni Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4P4LW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.