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I was wondering what the current accepted taxonomy for P. m. pimbura is. I recently spoke with Scott Ballard and he mentioned it might be considered P. molurus molurus by laws and could be dropped from taxonomy as a subspecies. He said to double check on it so I posted in anacondas because I figured Kelly Haller would know and being in Illinois you might know not only the accepted taxonomy but also if it would require the same permits for P.m.m. Kelly, I realize you post in here as well so if you see this before the anaconda post you can post the response in here or anacondas. Thank you both in advance and anyone else who might have some information that could be usefull.

Unfortunately, P. m. pimbura has been dropped as a subspecies of molurus and both CITES and the USFW consider P. m. molurus and P. m. pimbura to be equivalent more for enforcement purposes than for taxonomic reasons. Because CITES does consider both molurus and pimbura to be the same subspecies, they are therefore both listed as Appendix I animals. However, the real issue stems from the fact that molurus molurus was placed under the Endangered Species Act when it was originally promulgated. This being the case, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority requires the same permits for pimbura as those needed for activity with molurus molurus. Even though pimbura is not considered a valid subspecies, most people still refer to them as such when talking about molurus from Sri Lanka. Although color and pattern differences are quite apparent, scalation differences are very slight, and this presents a problem in differentiating them taxonomically. Pimbura do tend to have a prominent pinkish-red color on the top and sides of the head and a more irregular pattern and a larger amount of yellow in the background and belly than m. molurus. To me, the head shape of an adult m. pimbura is also distinct from that of m. molurus, and the arrow marking on top of the head is virtually absent in a classic adult pimbura.

Kelly

Looking for an unrelated female for my molurus. Do you know of any breeders in California, besides Prehistoric Pets? I have done quite a few searches and came up with nothing . How hard is it to get the necessary paperwork to trade across state lines? Georgous snake BTW.

Brett

All CITES animals are a tad difficult but I am sure Kelly can give you all the info. I recently talked to someone from the DNR about this and he didnt make it sound too bad. But from what I have heard it is a bit easier said than done. And it can be a slow process.

Brett,
Contact the US Fish and Wildlife Servive, Office of CITES Management Authority in Washington, DC. The number is 703-358-2104. They can send you the necessary information and permit application forms. Make sure you give them as much information as you can in the required application fields of the forms. I will e-mail you some information on another possible source of P. m. molurus in California. Thanks,

Kelly

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