NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Northern Small-eyed Snake
Cryptophis pallidiceps (Günther, 1858)
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.
Kakadu NT.
Matt from Melbourne, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Cryptophis pallidiceps, also known as the western Carpentaria snake or northern small-eyed snake, is a species of venomous snake endemic to Australia. The specific epithet pallidiceps ("pale-headed") refers to its body markings.
Wikipedia contributors, Cryptophis pallidiceps; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:25:06.772246+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cryptophis pallidiceps (Günther, 1858)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1858)
- Common name
- Northern Small-eyed Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Elapidae
- Genus
- Cryptophis
- 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
- genusCryptophis
- speciesCryptophis pallidiceps (Günther, 1858)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cryptophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cryptophis incredibilis (Wells & Wellington, 1985) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-striped snakeCryptophis nigrostriatus (Krefft, 1864) | ElapidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Denisonia nigrescens Boulenger, 1896 Boulenger, 1896 | synonym |
| Hoplocephalus pallidiceps Günther, 1858 Günther, 1858 | 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=Cryptophis&species=pallidiceps 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.
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:ZYNC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.