Mulga snake (or King brown snake),Pseudechis australis,has long been considered as a single species that is distributed throughout most of Australia and in a few localities of New Guinea.However,based on the recent genetic study and on observations of morphological differences between the Australian and New Guinean populations,the New Guinean form was classified as a distinct species,Pseudechis rossignolii,and named as Papuan pigmy mulga snake.