NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Carpet python
Morelia spilota (Lacépède, 1804)
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.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Morelia spilota (Lacépède, 1804)
- Name authority
- (Lacépède, 1804)
- Common name
- Carpet python
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Pythonidae
- Genus
- Morelia
- 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
- familyPythonidae
- genusMorelia
- speciesMorelia spilota (Lacépède, 1804)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Morelia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Green tree pythonMorelia viridis (Schlegel, 1872) | PythonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Centralian (Carpet) PythonMorelia bredli (Gow, 1981) | PythonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rough-scaled PythonMorelia carinata (Smith, 1981) | PythonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Montypythonoides riversleighensis Smith & Plane, 1985 Smith & Plane, 1985 | synonym |
| Morelia wellsi Hoser, 2012 Hoser, 2012 | synonym |
| Morelia variegata Gray, 1842 Gray, 1842 | synonym |
| Morelia cheynei Wells & Wellington, 1984 Wells & Wellington, 1984 | synonym |
| Morelia harrisoni Hoser, 2000 Hoser, 2000 | synonym |
| Morelia argus fasciolata Jan, 1864 Jan, 1864 | synonym |
| Python spilotus imbricatus Smith, 1981 Smith, 1981 | ambiguous synonym |
| Morelia metcalfei Wells & Wellington, 1985 Wells & Wellington, 1985 | synonym |
| Morelia mippughae Hoser, 2003 Hoser, 2003 | synonym |
| Python peronii Wagler, 1828 Wagler, 1828 | synonym |
| Python punctatus Merrem, 1820 Merrem, 1820 | synonym |
| Morelia mcdowelli Wells & Wellington, 1984 Wells & Wellington, 1984 | synonym |
| Morelia spilota macrospila Werner, 1910 Werner, 1910 | synonym |
| Python bredli Gow, 1981 Gow, 1981 | ambiguous synonym |
| Morelia spilota variegata Gray Gray | ambiguous synonym |
| Coluber spilotus Lacépède, 1804 Lacépède, 1804 | synonym |
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=Morelia&species=spilota 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:6RPMC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.