The distribution and identification of dangerously venomous Australian terrestrial snakes

The identification of dangerous Australian snakes is important in instituti ng therapy for envenomation. Despite the availability of a number of identi fication guides with varying degrees of generality, identification can be p roblematic for several reasons. These include a diversity of common names, many of which are inappropriate or regionally applied to different species, identification keys that focus on variable features, intraspecific variati on and interspecific convergence in colouration, and recent changes in scie ntific nomenclature of species and genera. Geographic distribution of the d angerously venomous species can be a useful aid to identification, by limit ing the range of options in a region. However, delineation of the limits of distribution relies on fine scale mapping beyond the resolution of most id entification guides. This article provides a summary of the geographic limi ts of the dangerously venomous Australian snakes, with particular emphasis on major population centres, and clarifies some problems in identification, particularly among brown-coloured snakes.