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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Indian Rock Python

Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 Indian python (Python molurus) is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian rock python. Although smaller than its close relative the Burmese python, it is still among the largest snakes in the world. It is generally lighter colored than the Burmese python and reaches usually 3 m (9 ft 10 in). Like all pythons, it is nonvenomous.

Wikipedia contributors, Indian python; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:14:30.981952+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Name authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name
Indian Rock Python
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Pythonidae
Genus
Python
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
  9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
  10. suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
  11. infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
  12. familyPythonidae
  13. genusPython
  14. speciesPython molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Python. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Borneo PythonPython breitensteini Steindachner, 1881PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Sumatra PythonPython curtus Schlegel, 1872PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Mon pythonPython kyaiktiyo Zug, Gotte & Jacobs, 2011PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Lesser African PythonPython natalensis Smith, 1840PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Blood PythonPython brongersmai Stull, 1938PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Anchieta's Dwarf PythonPython anchietae Bocage, 1887PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Burmese PythonPython bivittatus Kuhl, 1820PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
African (Rock) PythonPython sebae (Gmelin, 1789)PythonidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 30 records assigned to Pythonidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Python jamesonii Gray, 1842 Gray, 1842synonym
Boa cinerea Schneider, 1801 Schneider, 1801synonym
Python molurus pimbura Deraniyagala, 1945 Deraniyagala, 1945synonym
Python bora Daudin, 1803 Daudin, 1803synonym
Boa albicans Schneider, 1801 Schneider, 1801synonym
Boa castanea Schneider, 1801 Schneider, 1801synonym
Coluber boaeformis Shaw, 1802 Shaw, 1802synonym
Python molurus var. sondaica Werner, 1899 Werner, 1899synonym
Python molurus var. intermedia Werner, 1899 Werner, 1899synonym
Python molurus var. ocellatus Werner, 1899 Werner, 1899synonym
Python tigris Daudin, 1803 Daudin, 1803synonym
Boa orbiculata Schneider, 1801 Schneider, 1801synonym
Boa ordinata Schneider, 1801 Schneider, 1801synonym
Coluber molurus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Pakistan, India (Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra (Mulshi – R.Kulkarni (pers. comm.), around Ghoshalkhamb – near Lonavla, Valvan – S. Choudhary (pers. comm.)) [A. Captain, pers. comm.], Punjab [Dino Aulakh, pers. comm.], Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan

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.

  1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Python&species=molurus 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:4QY4N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.